If you've never tried Vegetarian Rasta Pasta, you're in for a treat! This mouth-watering dish is creamy, spicy, and bursting with flavor. It's an easy and simple recipe that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
This Vegan Rasta Pasta recipe features penne pasta and colorful bell peppers coated in a creamy coconut sauce. It's all flavored with Caribbean seasonings like nutmeg, allspice, thyme, and more.
This rich vegetarian dish is comfort food at its best, and will impress any pasta-lover!
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What Is Rasta Pasta?
Rasta Pasta is a creamy pasta dish with sauteed or roasted colorful bell peppers and jerk seasoning. It was first invented in Jamaica by chef Lorraine Washington in 1985.
The bell peppers red, green, and yellow colors hinted at rasta colors, representing Rastafarian culture, which led to the dish's name.
While sometimes you can see rasta pasta made with chicken or shrimp, traditionally, rasta pasta is vegetarian.
Ingredients
- Pasta: Traditionally vegetarian rasta pasta is made with penne pasta, but any small-shaped type of pasta will work. Think fusilli or pappardelle.
- Canned coconut milk: For making the creamy sauce. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can for the best results. You can also use heavy cream.
- Bell peppers: You'll need red, yellow, and green peppers for adding crunch and freshness to this vegan recipe.
- Butter: I am using vegan butter, but you can use regular butter, olive oil, or coconut oil.
- Jerk seasoning: This provides a unique flavor to the pasta and a little bit of spiciness. If you can't find it in your local grocery store, you can order jerk seasoning on Amazon, or make your own DIY jerk seasoning at home.
- Nutritional yeast: For adding a savory and umami flavor to the sauce.
- Green onions and garlic cloves: These are essential aromatics you'll need when making this vegetarian rasta pasta.
- Flour: For thickening the creamy sauce.
- Cheese: You can use any cheese you like including vegan cheese, grated parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella, etc. I am using VioLife's Mozzarella Shreds.
- Salt and black pepper: To taste.
- Lime juice (optional): For adding freshness and tanginess.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Vegetarian Rasta Pasta
- Fill a large pot with water and season with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the pasta, and cook as per package instructions, until al dente.
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add some butter or oil and saute the peppers for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Don't stir too often to give them a chance to brown nicely. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Then, melt the rest of the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Saute the white parts of the green onion and the minced garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir the jerk seasoning and the flour using a whisk, until it forms a paste. Cook it for 30 seconds to 1 minute to toast the flour and the spices.
4. Gradually pour the coconut milk, while whisking constantly, until the flour is dissolved and there are no lumps. Add the nutritional yeast and a few healthy pinches of salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce. To the skillet, add the cooked pasta alongside ½ cup of pasta water, the cheese, and the sauteed bell peppers.
Hint: Add more pasta water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
6. Turn the heat to low and coat the pasta and the bell peppers with the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce and it thickens. Finally, stir the lime juice and serve right away while it's still warm!
Expert Tips
- Salt your pasta water like the ocean. This will make sure that each piece of pasta is flavored from within.
- Drain your pasta 1 minute before it's al dente. The pasta will continue cooking in the sauce, which will help it to absorb more flavor!
- Don't overcook the peppers! You want them to still be fresh and crunchy, not cooked all the way through. Saute them just for 3-4 minutes to give them color.
- Toast the jerk seasoning with the flour. I think that toasting the spices before adding the liquid activates them and helps them show their flavors more.
- Whisk constantly while gradually pouring the milk. This will ensure that your sauce will be smooth and creamy.
- Use mild jerk seasoning if you don't like spicy food. This vegetarian rasta pasta can be spicy, so make sure to check the label on the packing of the seasoning to avoid surprises!
FAQ
The bell peppers red, green, and yellow colors hinted at rasta colors, representing Rastafarian culture, which led to the dish's name.
Jerk seasoning is a blend of everyday herbs and spices like onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, dried parsley, etc.
Yes, this recipe freezes perfectly! Let leftovers cool to room temperature then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
No. You can barely taste the coconut milk, because there are so many spices that overpower it, and because we're only using ½ of the can. However, if you're really concerned, I recommend using heavy cream or another plant-based cream such as soy cream.
Stovetop: Add the leftover pasta to a small pot, alongside a splash of water or vegetable broth. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring often, until hot.
Microwave: Add the leftover pasta to a plate, and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
Variations
- Make it without coconut milk: If you don't want to use coconut milk, you can use heavy cream (if not vegan), or another plant-based cream such as soy cream or almond cream. You can also make cashew cream at home by blending soaked cashew with water.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free penne pasta and gluten-free flour or cornstarch for the sauce.
- Fresh herbs: Chives, parsley, and thyme will all be delicious in this vegetarian rasta pasta.
- Add protein: You can add chickpeas, sliced seitan, or mock meats, or you can toss some of my crispy air fryer tempeh or smoky tofu for even more flavor.
- Add more vegetables: You can add any vegetables you like including baby spinach, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, frozen peas, or plain mixed vegetables.
Serving
This vegetarian rasta pasta is delicious on its own or served with a piece of homemade garlic bread on the side.
If you're looking for side dishes to go with this recipe, I suggest trying my crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potato beet salad, or Meditterenean risoni salad with feta.
Storage
Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container with a lid and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Rasta Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. penne pasta (use gluten-free if needed)
- ½ medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- ½ medium yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
- ½ medium green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 2 ½ tablespoon vegan butter, divided (or regular butter if preffered)
- 3 green onions, white and green parts separated
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoon jerk seasoning (add more for more flavor)
- 1 tablespoon flour of choice (all-purpose, gluten-free all-purpose, cornstarch, rice flour, etc.)
- ½ 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional
- ½ shredded cheese of choice (we use vegan mozzarella shreds)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Juice of ½ lime optional
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and season with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the pasta, and cook as per package instructions, until al dente.8 oz. penne pasta
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add ½ tablespoon butter or oil and saute the peppers for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Don't stir too often to give them a chance to brown nicely. Remove from the pan and set aside.½ medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips, ½ medium yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips, 2 ½ tablespoon vegan butter, divided, ½ medium green bell pepper, sliced into strips
- Then, melt the rest of the butter (2 tbsp) in the same skillet over medium heat. Saute the white parts of the green onion and the minced garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir the jerk seasoning and the flour using a whisk, until it forms a paste. Cook it for 30 seconds to 1 minute to toast the flour and the spices.2 ½ tablespoon vegan butter, divided, 3 green onions, white and green parts separated, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, 1-2 tablespoon jerk seasoning, 1 tablespoon flour of choice
- Gradually pour the coconut milk, while whisking constantly, until the flour is dissolved and there are no lumps. Add the nutritional yeast and a few healthy pinches of salt and black pepper to taste.½ 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk, 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, Salt and black pepper to taste
- Once the pasta is ready, drain it and reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce. To the skillet, add the cooked pasta alongside ½ cup of pasta water, the cheese, and the sauteed bell peppers.½ shredded cheese of choice
- Turn the heat to low and coat the pasta and the bell peppers with the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce and it thickens. Finally, stir the lime juice. Serve right away while it's still warm!Juice of ½ lime
Notes
- Salt your pasta water like the ocean. This will make sure that each piece of pasta is flavored from within.
- Drain your pasta 1 minute before it's al dente. The pasta will continue cooking in the sauce, which will help it to absorb more flavor!
- Don't overcook the peppers! You want them to still be fresh and crunchy, not cooked all the way through. Saute them just for 3-4 minutes to give them color.
- Toast the jerk seasoning with the flour. I think that toasting the spices before adding the liquid activates them and helps them show their flavors more.
- Whisk constantly while gradually pouring the coconut milk. This will ensure that your sauce will be smooth and creamy.
- Use mild jerk seasoning if you don't like spicy food. This vegetarian rasta pasta can be spicy, so make sure to check the label on the packing of the seasoning to avoid surprises!
- Fridge: Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container with a lid and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Let leftovers cool to room temperature then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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