Just when I thought red pasta couldn’t get any better, I discovered the magic that is roasted red peppers.
Creamy, velvety, savory, and subtly sweet, it makes the perfect flavor companion to vegan parmesan and fresh herbs in this 10-ingredient Vegan and Gluten Free pasta.
The magic starts with sautéed shallot and garlic to give the sauce a robust and subtly sweet base. In the meantime, roast up some red peppers until soft, charred and delicious. This will give your sauce that gorgeous orange hue and creamy texture.
To keep this pasta gluten free I went with a gluten free spaghetti noodle and used cornstarch as my thickener instead of a traditional flour roux. The result was a creamy, thick sauce just begging to be tossed with perfectly al dente noodles.
The sauce gets its flavor from four sources:
1. Sautéed garlic & shallot
2. Roasted red pepper
3. Nutritional yeast
4. Salt, pepper and red pepper flake
Together this combination provides the perfect balance of savory, sweet and heat, while fresh parsley adds a touch of freshness.
You’re going to love this pasta. It’s
Creamy
Luxurious
Savory
Subtly sweet
Perfectly “cheesy”
Healthy
Vegan + GF
Customizable (add a protein, additional herbs, veggies)
And totally satisfying
Make this dish for a simple-but-healthy weeknight meal, or reserve it for gatherings with friends who have special dietary needs.
Use whatever noodles you like – gluten free or not, or even spiralized veggies! And feel free to add a bit more protein of choice for extra staying power, although most gluten free noodles I’ve found provide ample protein and fiber.
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VEGAN ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA (GF)
- PASTA
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1.5 cups Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze Almond Milk
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder (or other thickener of choice)
- Pinch red pepper flake (optional, for heat)
- 12 ounces gluten free linguini or spaghetti noodles (or other noodle of choice)
- FOR SERVING
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Finely chopped fresh parsley or basil
- Heat oven to 500 degrees F and roast red peppers on a baking sheet until charred – about 25-30 minutes. Cover in foil for 10 minutes to steam, then remove (peel away) charred skin, seeds and stems. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain, toss in a touch of olive oil, cover with a towel and set aside.
- While the red peppers are roasting, bring a large skillet over medium heat and sautee onion and garlic in 2-3 Tbsp olive oil until golden brown and soft – about 4-5 minutes. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Transfer sautéed shallot and garlic to blender with roasted peppers, almond milk, red pepper flake, nutritional yeast and cornstarch. Season with desired amount of salt, pepper and red pepper flake.
- Blend until creamy and smooth, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper or nutritional yeast for flavor. You want the flavor to be pretty robust and strong since the noodles don’t have much flavor – so be generous with your seasonings.
- Once blended, place sauce back in the skillet over medium heat to thicken. Once it reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and continue simmering.
- Once sauce is thickened to desired consistency (see photo), add noodles. However, before tossing add a touch more olive oil, salt and pepper to the un-tossed noodles for added flavor. Then, toss to coat.
- Serve with (generous amounts of) vegan parmesan, red pepper flake and fresh chopped parsley or basil.
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