Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Pasta
This Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Pasta is made with 10 pantry ingredients, in 30 minutes and is protein packed! It’s sure to become a new favourite weeknight dinner meal that is so delicious!
This blog post is sponsored by Pasta Lensi! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Jessica in the Kitchen! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
This is definitely on my top ten pantry dinners list. This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is a mouthful to say, but thankfully the process isn’t. It comes together surprisingly easily, has a rich flavour and such a fun colour. Another surprise? It’s gluten free!
This beauty is made using Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Fusilli. When they first sent me their pasta to try, I was excited since I actually love using gluten free pastas to up the protein of my dishes. Seeing that it had 26g protein per 3.5 oz portion (about 2 servings) was very enticing because I could easily hit my protein goals with it. Apart from the beautiful colour, the next wonderful surprise was how well this held up.
I am used to some gluten free pastas falling apart or getting mushy and this did not! I even overcooked it once by accident and it was still fine! Since then, this has been a staple for me every single week in one meal or another. I highly recommend checking out their pasta, which you can do here.
Notes on the Ingredients
Red Lentil Pasta by Pasta Lensi – the star of the show! I love using gluten free pastas because they immediately up the protein of any and all pasta dishes by so much. Be sure to cook according to package directions.
Non Dairy Creamer – Helps make the sauce incredibly creamy! I used unsweetened oat creamer; you can also sub a thick vegan milk.
Roasted red peppers – the star of the sauce! You can roast your peppers yourself, or use store-bought ones in a glass jar like I did.
Regular or roasted garlic – either one works, roasted garlic gives a deeper flavour.
Onion – any onion works here
dried basil seasoning or a few basil leaves – definitely optional, but adds a really nice flavour to the sauce.
Sea salt and pepper – for balancing out the flavours and adding some spice. You may need more or less salt depending on how salty your pasta water is.
Vegan parmesan cheese – my vegan parmesan cheese recipe works perfectly to bring a slight cheesiness to this sauce. You can also use store-bought.
pasta water – don’t skip this step or replace with regular water. The starchiness in the pasta water helps the sauce easily stick to the pasta.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Pasta – Step by Step
In a well-salted pot of boiling water, cook the Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Pasta according to the directions on the box. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
While the water is heating up and the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and softened. Sprinkle over the sea salt and black pepper, and stir to combine again.
Let cool slightly, and add them into your blender alongside the non-dairy creamer, roasted red peppers, basil seasoning/basil, sea salt and pepper and vegan parmesan cheese. Blend until completely combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Pour the sauce back into your saucepan and heat through over medium low heat until slightly bubbling, about 3 minutes.
Add your pasta with a slotted spoon immediately into the roasted red pepper sauce along with the pasta water. Stir completely to coat the pasta in the sauce and until the pasta water is fully mixed into the sauce too. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Top with extra vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes/chili oil and basil and enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQ
- Don’t overcook your pasta. This is especially important with gluten free pasta. Pasta Lensi pasta is actually a lot more resistant to overcooking than a lot of the gluten free pastas I have used which is great, so still ensure to follow the package directions and the timing on the lower end, since you’ll be adding the pasta into the sauce for a few minutes too.
- Don’t rinse your pasta. The extra starch will definitely help it to stick. I actually like adding it right into the sauce from the pot – like slotting it immediately over.
- Cook the final sauce and pasta on a nice slow heat, so everything comes together without burning.
- Top with some Calabrian chili oil (or any chili oil), extra basil and extra parmesan cheese!
Related Recipes
Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Fusilli
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or roasted garlic
- 1 onion
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Non-dairy creamer
- 16 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, or 2-3 large roasted red peppers
- 3 tablespoons vegan parmesan cheese
- ¼ to ½ cup pasta water
Optional add ins:
- ½ teaspoon dried basil seasoning or a few basil leaves
Instructions
- In a well-salted pot of boiling water, cook the Pasta Lensi Red Lentil Fusilli according to the directions on the box. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
- While the water is heating up and the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and softened. Sprinkle over the sea salt and black pepper, and stir to combine again.
- Let cool slightly, and add them into your blender alongside the non-dairy creamer, roasted red peppers, basil seasoning/basil, sea salt and pepper and vegan parmesan cheese. Blend until completely combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce back into your saucepan and heat through over medium low heat until slightly bubbling, about 3 minutes.
- Add your pasta with a slotted spoon immediately into the roasted red pepper sauce along with the pasta water. Stir completely to coat the pasta in the sauce and until the pasta water is fully mixed into the sauce too. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Top with extra vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes/chili oil and basil and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
