Vegan Creamy Roasted Pepper Pasta (Print Version)

A luscious plant-based pasta with smoky roasted peppers and protein-rich lentils in a creamy sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried penne or fusilli pasta

→ Sauce Base

02 - 2 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 3/4 cup cooked brown or green lentils, well-drained
06 - 1/2 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

14 - Fresh basil leaves
15 - Vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
16 - Crushed red pepper flakes

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Transfer sautéed onion and garlic to a blender. Add roasted red peppers, cooked lentils, plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
04 - Return blended sauce to the skillet over low heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Adjust thickness by gradually adding reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
05 - Add drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
06 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with fresh basil, vegan parmesan, and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and restaurant-quality, but you're getting 14g of plant protein in every single bowl.
  • The sauce comes together in under 10 minutes if you use jarred roasted peppers, making weeknight cooking feel manageable again.
  • There's no chalky vegan aftertaste—just genuine, savory richness that even non-vegan eaters reach for seconds of.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining your lentils thoroughly because any liquid they hold dilutes the sauce and makes it glossy in the wrong way, like it hasn't fully set.
  • The blender is non-negotiable here—a food processor leaves specks of lentil and pepper skin that break the creamy illusion, so take the extra minute to use the right tool.
  • Taste the sauce before adding pasta because plant-based ingredients sometimes need more salt than you instinctively add; trust your palate, not the recipe amounts.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—seriously, it's the difference between sauce that clings to pasta and sauce that slides off, and it takes two seconds of foresight.
  • Buy nutritional yeast in bulk from the natural foods section because a little goes a long way, and keeping a supply on hand transforms everything from soups to popcorn.
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