If you haven’t tried roasted red pepper pasta, now’s the time. This creamy, smoky pasta dish is packed with flavor and comes together with simple ingredients like cottage cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and sweet roasted peppers. I love how naturally rich and slightly sweet the sauce turns out without needing heavy cream. Roasting the red pepper, onion, and garlic builds a deep flavor base, while the cottage cheese keeps things creamy and high in protein. There is one secret ingredients to bring this dish all together and makes a big difference, I’ll show you at the end. This one’s an easy weeknight recipe that feels like something you’d order at a restaurant. Let’s get cooking.
What you’ll need
- ½ lb sweet red pepper
- ½ onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic bulb, peeled cloves
- Olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt
- 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 3 oz cottage cheese
- ½ cup milk
- A handful of fresh basil
- Lemon juice (to garnish)
- Black pepper
- Cooked pasta, al dente
- Reserved pasta water
How to make a perfect roasted pepper pasta
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. On a sheet pan, toss sliced red peppers and onion with olive oil, salt, and paprika.
- Place garlic cloves in a small oven-safe bowl or wrap them in foil with olive oil. Roast everything for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through so nothing burns.
- Once roasted, transfer the peppers, onion, and garlic to a blender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, chili flakes (if using), cottage cheese, milk, and basil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
- Cook pasta to al dente. Save at least half a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Pour the sauce into a pan and heat gently. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Use pasta water a little at a time to thin the sauce to your liking.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, black pepper, and extra basil.
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Tips for the best roasted red pepper pasta
Using red bell peppers instead of sweet red peppers
You can use red bell peppers as a substitute for sweet red peppers in this recipe. While sweet red peppers are often longer and thinner with no seeds, red bell peppers are just as sweet and roast beautifully. Once roasted, they deliver a similar flavor—mild, naturally sweet, and perfect for blending into a creamy sauce. Just remove the seeds and core before roasting.
Roast the garlic with olive oil, not bare
Garlic is one of those ingredients that can turn bitter fast if it’s exposed to direct heat for too long. That’s why I always roast the cloves in olive oil—either in a small oven-safe bowl or wrapped in foil. This helps the garlic soften and caramelize gently instead of burning. You’ll get a rich, mellow flavor that blends easily into the sauce without any bitterness. Plus, there’s no need to deal with squeezing it out of the bulb like you would with roasted whole garlic. Just toss the softened cloves straight into the blender with the rest of your ingredients. It saves time and gives the sauce a better base. This small trick adds a lot of depth without any extra effort.
Flip the veggies halfway to avoid burning
Roasted red peppers and onions develop their flavor from caramelization, not charring. That means you want them cooked evenly, not blackened on one side and underdone on the other. About halfway through roasting—so around the 15-minute mark—flip the veggies using a spatula. This ensures they get soft and lightly charred all around without burning. I’ve had times where I forgot to flip, and the onion edges came out too crispy while the centers were still raw. Flipping also keeps the sweet red pepper juicy, which helps create a more flavorful and balanced sauce. Keep an eye on them toward the end so nothing dries out.
Use cottage cheese for a creamy texture without cream
If you’re looking for a creamy pasta sauce that isn’t loaded with heavy cream or butter, cottage cheese is a game-changer. Once blended, it becomes super smooth and gives you that velvety texture you’d expect from a dairy-based sauce, without the extra fat. It’s also a sneaky way to add more protein, which makes the dish more satisfying and balanced. I like using full-fat cottage cheese so the sauce doesn’t taste watery. Just be sure to blend everything thoroughly; you don’t want little curds floating around. This trick works great in other pasta sauces too, especially when paired with bold flavors like roasted peppers or sun-dried tomatoes.
Always save your pasta water
Pasta water is basically liquid gold for any sauce-based pasta dish. It has starch from the pasta that helps bind everything together and makes the sauce coat the noodles better. When you mix the sauce into the pasta, start with a small splash of the reserved water and stir. If it still feels too thick or clumpy, add a little more until it’s the right consistency. This not only helps stretch the sauce if it’s too thick from the blender, but also gives it a smooth, silky finish. I usually scoop out about a cup of pasta water before draining, just in case I need extra. It’s one of those simple things that makes a big difference in texture.
Lemon juice is the secret ingredient
A splash of lemon juice at the end completely changes the flavor of this roasted red pepper pasta. The sauce is creamy and a little sweet from the peppers, so you need a bit of acid to cut through and balance everything out. Lemon brings a brightness that makes the whole dish feel lighter and fresher. You don’t need a lot—just a squeeze is enough. I recommend adding it after you turn off the heat, so the flavor stays sharp and doesn’t get cooked out. If you’re feeling fancy, a little zest works too. It’s such a simple step, but it really ties the whole thing together and makes it taste more layered.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- ½ lb sweet red pepper
- ½ onion peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic bulb peeled cloves
- Olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt
- 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 tsp chili flakes optional
- 3 oz cottage cheese
- ½ cup milk
- A handful of fresh basil
- Lemon juice to garnish
- Black pepper
- Cooked pasta al dente
- Reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. On a sheet pan, toss sliced red peppers and onion with olive oil, salt, and paprika.
- Place garlic cloves in a small oven-safe bowl or wrap them in foil with olive oil. Roast everything for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through so nothing burns.
- Once roasted, transfer the peppers, onion, and garlic to a blender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, chili flakes (if using), cottage cheese, milk, and basil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
- Cook pasta to al dente. Save at least half a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Pour the sauce into a pan and heat gently. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Use pasta water a little at a time to thin the sauce to your liking.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, black pepper, and extra basil.
