Try this creamy vegan roasted red pepper pasta recipe for a quick, easy and delicious meal that’s ready in 30 minutes.

Overhead view of a bowl of vegan roasted red pepper pasta topped with chopped fresh herbs.

About the Recipe

This recipe uses cannellini beans, or white kidney beans, and roasted red peppers to make a creamy roasted red pepper sauce that’s perfect mixed with any cooked pasta for an easy meal.

If you’re tired of making the same pasta dish over and over, this is a great recipe to switch things up and is sure to make it into regular rotation. It’s also an easy way to include more beans in your diet.

Serve the creamy sauce with pasta of choice for a family-friendly weeknight meal that’s simple, nutritious and tasty. 

Looking for more vegan pasta recipes? You’ll have to try this Creamy Spinach and Tomato Pasta, Creamy Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, Vegan Carbonara or Vegan One Pot Pasta with Kale and Mushroom next.

For Asian-inspired noodle recipes, check out these drunken noodles, miso noodles, tofu pad Thai, vegan lo mein, cold soba noodle salad and cold peanut noodle salad.

Ingredients

Visual list of ingredients for making creamy vegan roasted red pepper pasta with beans and nutritional yeast.
  • Pasta: You can use any pasta variety you enjoy. I find shapes that hold sauce well are the yummiest, try rigatoni, penne, fusilli, linguini and pappardelle.
  • Olive oil: This can be substituted with broth or water for an oil-free recipe. Vegan butter, avocado oil or even coconut oil works too. 
  • Shallots: If you don’t have shallots on hand, white, yellow or red onion works.
  • Roasted Red Peppers: You can use store-bought roasted red peppers in a jar or easily make your ownhow to make roasted red peppers. You’ll need less than 20 minutes to make your own. You can also use roasted red peppers in Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
  • Cannellini Beans: Adds protein, fiber, and creaminess to the pasta sauce without needing heavy cream or cashews. They also keep the dish lower in fat and calories than most creamy pasta recipes.
  • Nutritional Yeast: Gives this pasta dish a yummy nutty, cheese flavor while keeping the recipe dairy-free and adding additional protein.
  • Unsweetened Almond Milk: This can be substituted with cashew milk or another non-dairy milk of choice.
  • Fresh Herbs: Fresh basil or parsley make a great flavor addition when tossed into the sauce. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, you can substituted them with 1-2 tsp dried herbs. Italian seasoning works if you don’t have parsley and basil on hand.

Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredient list with measurements.

Variations

  • Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: Give this dish a kick of spice by blending chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the sauce or topping the final dish with red pepper flakes.
  • For Spinach or Kale Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: Greens can also be finely chopped and mixed in at the end until wilted.
  • For Creamy Cashew Roasted Red Pepper Pasta: Swap the white beans for 1 can of full-fat coconut milk or raw cashews that have been soaked for 4+ hours. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak overnight. You can use this Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Pasta, Creamy Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta or Easy Creamy Vegan Carbonara if you need more tips on making a coconut or cashew cream sauce.
  • To increase the protein: try adding these lentil meatballs, vegan sausage, cubed tofu, tempeh, or add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to the final product. 
  • Low-Carb Option: Serve over zucchini noodles.
  • Gluten-Free Option: Use any gluten-free pasta such as brown rice pasta, chickpea pasta or quinoa pasta.
  • Smoky Flavor: Add 1 tsp smoked paprika to sauce in the blender.
  • Lemon: Lemon juice and/or lemon zest is a nice addition to the sauce.
  • Extra Veggies: You can add any extra veggies you like along with the shallot and garlic. Try diced carrot, chopped mushroom, broccoli florets, diced zucchini, chopped asparagus or cherry tomatoes. You may need to cook a bit longer for harder veggies like asparagus and broccoli, these could also be roasted and stirred in at the end. Green peas can be stirred in at the end.
  • Other Additions: Try sun dried tomatoes, capers or kalamata or black olives for more Mediterranean flavor.
  • Serving: Try your pasta topped with a spoonful of tofu ricotta, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, pine nuts and fresh basil or parsley.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the pasta you’re using.

Before you drain the pasta, scoop off 1-2 cups of the pasta cooking water. You may not need it but if you want to adjust the consistency of the final dish, this is a good way to add creaminess.

Finely chopped shallot cooking in a skillet.

Step 2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the chopped shallot, garlic and salt and pepper to a medium skillet and saute for 5-7 minutes or until they become fragrant and soft.

Looking into a blender container of roasted red pepper sauce.

Step 3. Add the cooked shallot and garlic mixture to a high-speed blender along with the roasted red peppers, cannellini beans, nutritional yeast, and almond milk. Blend until you have a creamy sauce.

Roasted red pepper pasta topped with fresh parsley in a larges skillet.

Step 4. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it back to the pot and pour the roasted red pepper sauce over top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or basil and toss until all of the pasta is coated in sauce.

If you’d like to adjust the thickness of the sauce at all, stir in a little of the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at at time.

Serve right away with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast. A sprinkle of tofu feta or tofu ricotta is yummy too!

A bowl of vegan roasted red pepper pasta topped with chopped fresh herbs.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make your own roasted red peppers?

Sure! Roasted red peppers are easy to make at home. All you’ll need is red bell peppers and 15-20 minutes to make them. Find all the details here: how to make roasted red peppers.

Is roasted red pepper pasta gluten-free?

It can be! Just use a gluten-free pasta of choice such as quinoa pasta, brown rice pasta, lentil pasta or chickpea pasta. You could also used spiralized veggie noodles like sweet potato, carrot or zucchini for a low-carb option/

What can I use instead of white beans?

For a creamy alternative to white beans you can use soaked raw cashews.

How should I store roasted red pepper pasta?

Leftover red pepper pasta can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container before reheating and serving. 

Can I freeze roasted red pepper pasta?

If you have any leftover sauce, you can freeze it in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible for 3-4 months.

Upon thawing overnight in the fridge, the sauce may need to be blended again with a bit of plant-based milk to renew its texture. 

Can I use a food processor instead of a blender?

You can but I find you get the creamiest result with a high-speed blender.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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A bowl of vegan roasted red pepper pasta topped with chopped fresh herbs.

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Enjoy this creamy red pepper sauce with any pasta for a quick dinner that’s sure to be a family favourite.


Ingredients

  • 16 oz. uncooked pasta, any shape such as rotini, penne, bowls or fusilli
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30 ml)
  • 2 large shallots, chopped (approx. 1/3 cup )
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, minced (approx. 2 tbsp)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 16 oz. jar roasted red peppers packed in water, drained
  • ½ cup cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed (115 g)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast (25 g)
  • 1 ¼ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (295 mL)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil (5 g)

Instructions

  1. Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
  2. Saute Garlic & Shallot: While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil to a skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add shallots, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. 
  3. Blend Sauce: Transfer the shallots and garlic to a blender. Add the roasted red peppers, cannellini beans, nutritional yeast and almond milk. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Mix Pasta and Sauce: Drain the pasta then return to the pot. Pour the roasted red pepper sauce into the pot and toss with pasta until well combined.
  5. Add Herbs: Add the parsley or basil into the pot and stir to incorporate.
  6. Serve: Serve with another sprinkle of fresh herbs and extra nutritional yeast or dairy-free parmesan cheese.

Notes

Find instructions for how to make roasted red peppers here. If you’re making homemade roasted red peppers, use 3 small or 2 large red bell peppers.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
  • Calories: 546
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 101 g
  • Fiber: 15 g
  • Protein: 24 g