red pepper pasta

this creamy red pepper pasta marries sweet red peppers and gochujang into the most delicate rose-colored sauce. ruffled mafaldine catches every silky spoonful, while mascarpone brings a gentle richness. perfect for those quiet evenings at home.

why you will love this gochujang red pepper pasta recipe

• easy recipe – this easy red pepper pasta is made with a few simple ingredients, and doesn’t require any time consuming steps like roasting the peppers. the immersion blender makes this pasta come together pretty quickly and easily.

• creamy and indulgent but not overly rich – the mascarpone and heavy cream in this red pepper pasta adds a layer of richness to the sauce, but it still feels fairly light and balanced.

  perfect balance of flavours – the gochujang adds an interesting depth of flavour and the sweet peppers balance out the heat. it’s a bit more interesting than your typical tomato cream sauce and the flavours work really well together!

learn how to make this quick red pepper pasta recipe

to make this quick, easy red pepper garlic pasta, we’re going to start off by cooking pasta slightly less than in the package instructions. for the red pepper pasta sauce, we’ll cool garlic, onion and red pepper in butter until they soften. once that’s done, we’ll add a mix of spices as well as some gochujang and some pasta water. after cooking this, remove the mixture from the pan, let it cool slightly and then blend it until relatively smooth. put the blended sauce back into the pan, then add some pasta water, mascarpone and heavy cream to thicken it up. mix some cheese into the sauce as well as the cooked pasta, then serve with fresh parmesan, and we’re done!

red pepper pasta ingredients

• pasta – i’m using mafaldine for this red pepper pasta dish, but you can use any pasta shape that you like.

• butter – i like to cook the onion, garlic and bell peppers in butter. i’m using salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you like. just make sure to add salt to your taste if you use unsalted butter.

• garlic – i’m using sliced fresh garlic to make this red pepper garlic pasta sauce. we’re going to be blending this all later on, so you don’t need to mince the garlic.

• onion – we’re going to cook chopped onion in butter until they soften slightly. again, we will be blending this, so they don’t need to be that small. i used red onion, but you can use whatever you like.

• red bell peppers – we’re going to be making this pasta with red peppers – we’re going to cook the chopped red bell peppers in butter until they soften.

• spices – for this red pepper pasta recipe, i’m just using cumin seeds, red chilli flakes, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. you can adjust any spices and seasonings to your taste.

• gochujang – i like to use a small amount of gochujang in the red pepper pasta cream sauce just for an extra depth of flavour that really complements this pasta dish. you can adjust the amount to your taste.

• mascarpone – i love to add a small amount of mascarpone to make the red pepper pasta creamy and rich.

• double cream/heavy cream – i love to add a little bit of heavy cream just for some extra richness.

• pasta water – we’re going to save some pasta water when draining the cooked pasta and add it to the cream sauce. this will just help make the sauce a bit silkier and thicker.

• cheese – this is optional, but i like to add a small amount of mozzarella cheese at the end and just mix it into the sauce. but if you’d prefer this red pepper pasta with no cheese, feel free to skip this. you can also add any other cheese you like instead, like parmesan. i also love to grate some fresh parmesan on top before serving.

• parsley (optional) – feel free to add some fresh or dried parsley towards the end for some extra colour and flavour.

  tools:

• a pot – you’ll need a pot for boiling the pasta

• skillet or pan – for making our red pepper pasta cream sauce

• blender – for blending the sauce. i used a hand blender but you can also just use a normal blender. if using a hand blender, you’ll need a deep bowl/dish/jug so that you can easily blend the mixture.

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: add pasta to a pot with boiling water and salt, and cook for slightly less time than written on package instructions. we’ll be adding the pasta to the sauce at the end and cooking it slightly, so you want to make sure you don’t cook it for too long.

step two: drain the cooked pasta, making sure to save some leftover pasta water, and set it aside.

step three: heat up a pan, then add butter and let it melt. add the sliced garlic, chopped onion and chopped red bell pepper.

step four: cook all of this over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes or until they soften.

step five: turn off the heat, and add the seasonings (cumin seeds, red chilli flakes, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder) as well as the gochujang and a little bit of leftover pasta water. mix this into the onions and peppers, and then cook over low-medium heat for about one minute, and low heat for another 1.5 minutes, just until the spices are fragrant.

step six: remove the mixture from the pan and place it in a deep jug or bowl. let it cool slightly, then blend the mixture until relatively smooth.

step seven: add the blended mixture back to the pan along with some pasta water. mix this together and cook over medium heat.

step eight: bring the mixture to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the red pepper pasta sauce starts to thicken slightly.

step nine: once the mixture starts to bubble gently and thicken up, remove the pan from the heat. then, add the mascarpone and heavy cream and mix these into the sauce.

step ten: again, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the red pepper pasta cream sauce thickens up.

step eleven: add the cheese in over low heat, and mix it in until it melts into the sauce.

step twelve: at this point, the red pepper pasta cream sauce will look quite thick. add some more pasta water and mix it into the sauce. again, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

step thirteen: add the cooked pasta to the sauce and gently mix it in. cover the pot with a lid and leave this to cook for a minute or two over medium heat.

step fourteen: serve your red pepper pasta, top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese cheese and a sprinkle of parsley, and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• cook pasta just under al dente. we’ll be cooking it in the sauce for a minute or two at the end, so you want to make sure not to over cook it.

• i’m using salted butter in this red pepper pasta recipe. this is why i didn’t add any extra salt. it’s completely up to you whether you’d like to use salted butter or unsalted butter, and you can add salt to your taste. just keep in mind that the pasta water will be salted as well.

• feel free to adjust any spices or seasonings to your taste. i didn’t find this spicy at all, but if you’re concerned, you might want to leave out the red chilli flakes or adjust the amount of gochujang in this recipe depending on your preference.

• for the red pepper pasta sauce recipe, it’s ok to just roughly chop the garlic, onion and red bell pepper. we’re going to be blending everything anyway, so you don’t need to chop anything too finely.

• if using a hand blender, be sure to add the mixture to a deep bowl or jug in order to prevent splashing, and just to make things easier for you.

• let the mixture cool slightly before you start blending it. if you feel that the mixture is too thick to blend, just add a splash of pasta water to make the red pepper pasta sauce easy to blend.

• if using a normal blender instead of a hand blender, be sure not to overfill it, and make sure the mixture is relatively cool before blending.

• if you’d like the red pepper pasta sauce to be extra smooth, feel free to strain it after blending. i didn’t do this because i don’t mind some texture, but you can pass it through a sieve before you add it back to the pan if you like.

• use room temperature mascarpone so that it’s easier for it to melt into the sauce.

• feel free to adjust the amount of pasta water you add if you feel that the sauce is too thick/not thick enough.

• i decided to keep this dish relatively simple so didn’t add anything else with it. but if you’d like to have this meal with some kind of protein, you can make this red pepper pasta with chicken or something like shrimp would also work well. for a meat-free protein, making this red pepper pasta with tofu would be also be a great option!

• store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

frequently asked questions

1. can i make this red pepper pasta with olive oil instead of butter ?

   – yes, you can. while butter adds a lovely richness, olive oil would work well too. just note that its flavour will come through in the final dish, and the sauce might be less velvety and rich without the butter.

2. how long will this red pepper pasta keep ?

   – stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this red pepper pasta should keep for 3-4 days.

3. how do i reheat any leftovers ?

   – reheat any leftovers gently on the stove with a splash of water or cream ensure that it stays creamy instead of dry.

4. can i use something else instead of mascarpone in the red pepper pasta cream sauce ?

   – while mascarpone adds a lovely creaminess and richness to the sauce, if you don’t have it on hand, you can use any cream cheese instead.

5. can i use tomato paste instead of gochujang for the red pepper pasta sauce ?

   – tomate paste and gochujang both have very different flavours. Tomato paste lacks the sweet-spicy complexity of gochujang that works really well in this red pepper pasta. if you’re okay with this, then you can use tomato paste instead of gochujang.

6. can i make this red pepper pasta ahead of time ?

   – this red pepper pasta is best served fresh, but if you want to prep this for later, you can make the sauce in advance. reheat the sauce with some extra pasta water and add the pasta to the sauce just before serving.

7. can i use a regular blender instead of an immersion blender ?

   – yes, you can. just make sure to let the mixture cool slightly, and don’t fill the blender more than halfway. mix on low speed until smooth, then add the sauce back to the pan.

8. what do i do if my red pepper pasta sauce is too thick ?

   – if your red pepper pasta sauce is too thick, all you need to do is add more pasta water, in small amounts at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

9. can i make this red pepper pasta with meat or some kind of protein ?

   – absolutely! this red pepper pasta and chicken would go really well together. you could also have this red pepper pasta with shrimp, or tofu would also be a good meat-free protein option.

10. can i make this red pepper pasta with no cheese ?

    – the mascarpone and mozzarella in this red pepper pasta recipe help add flavour and richness to it. however, if you’re okay with the pasta sauce being not as rich/creamy, you can definitely just skip the cheese.

11. is this red pepper pasta healthy ?

    – this red pepper pasta is a creamy pasta dish that’s meant to be quite indulgent, but it can definitely be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

12. can i make this as a red pepper pasta bake ?

    – the red pepper pasta sauce is designed to be quite creamy and silky, and baking it might change the texture and make it dry. i’d recommend keeping this as a stovetop pasta dish.

recipe