This is one of those pastas that feels richer and more involved than it actually is. Most of the work happens in the oven, where red peppers, leeks, and garlic slowly collapse and caramelize until they’re sweet, soft, and ready to turn into a sauce.
Blending the vegetables with the oil they roasted in gives you something that lands somewhere between a purée and a cream sauce — silky, glossy, and deeply savory without needing any dairy beyond a little butter at the end. It’s simple food, but it doesn’t taste simple. The sweetness from the peppers and leeks carries the whole dish, and a hit of red pepper flakes keeps it from going flat.
This is also a great example of why reserving pasta water matters. The sauce tightens, loosens, and emulsifies depending on how much you add, and you can dial it in exactly how you like it. I reach for a ridged pasta here — rigatoni is my go-to — because it grabs onto the sauce in all the right places. It’s cozy, flexible, and exactly the kind of dinner I want when I don’t feel like making a million decisions.
Roasted Red Pepper and Leek Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers roughly chopped
- 2 leeks tops removed, washed, and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ cup oil of choice
- Kosher salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lb pasta of choice rigatoni recommended
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Add the bell peppers, leeks, and garlic to a large baking dish. Pour in the oil and toss until the vegetables are well coated.
- Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are very soft and beginning to caramelize.
- About 10 minutes before the vegetables are done, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Let the roasted vegetables cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them — along with the oil they cooked in — to a blender or food processor. Leave space for steam to escape and blend until completely smooth.
- Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the butter is melted and fragrant.
- Add the blended red pepper and leek sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Season generously with salt.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir vigorously, adding reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time, until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta evenly.
- Divide among bowls and serve immediately.
Leave a Reply