Roasted Red Pepper Pasta {with or without Grilled Chicken} (she: Leesh & Lu)

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta is delicious with or without added chicken. It’s big on flavor but not on effort!

Today we have a fast, fresh, and tasty meal to share with you that will not disappoint!  Bonus: it comes together in about 30 minutes! You can use roasted red peppers from a jar or you can roast your own in a flash.

We like to add chicken, but you could easily omit it and substitute vegetable broth if you’re looking to keep it vegetarian. Marinated grilled chicken works great here, as does diced rotisserie chicken–so use whatever works for you. Choices, choices!

Also, you can obviously use your favorite shape of pasta here.  I like the shorter pastas with more ridges here so they can hold more of the dreamy sauce.  We used this Barilla brand Campanelle and thought it worked perfectly here. They were like curly mini lasagna noodles.

While the recipe is simple, the taste is incredible! The roasted red pepper is definitely the star of the show! Start by sauteing onions, garlic, and roasted red peppers in a olive oil.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Add chicken broth, spices, cream and Parmesan.  Spoon the sauce over pasta, top with diced chicken, and big shavings of Parmesan if desired,  and dig in!

Try these other favorites:

Spicy Hawaiian Pizza | Honey Poppyseed Vinaigrette |  Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

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Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

A creamy, sweet red pepper sauce blended to smooth perfection served over your favorite pasta and topped with grilled chicken.

Course Main Dish - Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Author Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 12 ounces pasta - campanelle rigatoni, radiatore are all great choices here - but use your fave short pasta!
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large onion diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 3 roasted red bell peppers* or 1 jar 15.5 Ounces roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
• 1-1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan shavings + more for serving**
• fresh parsley finely chopped (use dried in a pinch)
• fresh basil thinly sliced (use dried in a pinch)
• grilled chicken diced into bite-sized pieces
• Italian dressing for marinating chicken if desired

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken for 1-8 hours, if desired. Grill chicken until cooked all the way through and set aside.
2. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
3. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)
5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil back to the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet. "Rinse" blender with chicken broth and add to pepper puree in skillet. Add salt and pepper, and stir until heated. Splash in the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add Parmesan and parsley/basil, then stir it together to coat the pasta.
7. Serve immediately in bowls with extra Parmesan shavings and top with grilled chicken.

Recipe Notes

* Tutorial: How to Quickly Roast Peppers
**We like to shave the Parmesan block with a vegetable peeler to get nice, big shavings for serving

For more great recipes, try these:

Harry Potter Inspired Recipes

26 Outdoor Dutch Oven Recipes

Honey Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry