Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Peppers Tomatoes and Ricotta
These rigatoni are coated in a creamy sauce made from roasted red peppers, tomatoes, red onions and garlic, blended with ricotta, Parmesan and fresh herbs. Roasting softens the vegetables and concentrates their flavor before they become a smooth orange sauce. It is a generous meatless pasta dinner with a short ingredient list and most of the cooking done in the oven.
This recipe is based on my YouTube video, with a few adjustments since publication to clarify quantities, the handling of hot ingredients and the amount of sauce to add to the pasta. The creamy texture comes from ricotta rather than a separate cream sauce. The vegetables need to be fully tender before blending; the blender cannot turn a firm roasted onion into a silky sauce on its own.
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The character of this roasted vegetable sauce
Roasted peppers bring sweetness, tomatoes bring moisture and acidity, and red onions round out the flavor. Garlic cooks in its skin so the cloves become soft enough to squeeze into the blender. Thyme and bay flavor the roasting dish, while basil and oregano go into the finished sauce.
This is different from my creamy tomato pasta, where the sauce follows another preparation. It also differs from spinach and basil green pasta: here, roasting is responsible for much of the flavor. The orange color comes naturally from the red vegetables and white ricotta.
Use a large roasting dish or two smaller dishes. A deep heap of vegetables steams unevenly and can leave the onions firm. The goal is tender vegetables with some browned edges, without burning the garlic or drying the tomatoes into hard patches. A little liquid in the pan is useful because it becomes part of the sauce.
Ingredients and proportions
For four main-course portions, use 10½ ounces of dry rigatoni and 7 ounces of ricotta. The vegetables are three medium red bell peppers, about 1 pound of ripe tomatoes, two small red onions and two small heads of garlic. This produces a generous amount of sauce; add it gradually and keep any surplus separately rather than drowning the pasta.
Cut the peppers into broad pieces, the onions into wedges and the tomatoes into halves or quarters according to their size. Small tomatoes can stay whole after removing their stems. Similar thickness matters more than perfectly neat cuts. Keep the onion wedges fairly thin so they soften alongside the peppers.
Use ¼ cup olive oil to coat the vegetables, a few thyme sprigs and one bay leaf for roasting. Reserve a small handful of basil and about a tablespoon of oregano leaves for blending. Fresh herbs vary in strength; start with the listed quantities and taste before adding more. My food processor basil pesto is another way to use a large bunch of basil, but pesto is not required for this sauce.
Ricotta adds body and a mild dairy flavor. Stir the tub before measuring, and drain it briefly if there is a noticeable layer of liquid. Do not add cream automatically: the roast vegetables, their juices and the ricotta already give the blender enough material to work with. Water from the pasta is a final adjustment, added a spoonful at a time.
Cooking step by step
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Heat the oven to 400°F. Remove the pepper stems, seeds and white membranes. Cut the peppers into broad strips and the red onions into wedges. Halve or quarter the tomatoes if large. Cut the garlic heads across the middle to expose the cloves, keeping their skins on.
Spread the thyme and bay in the roasting dish, then add the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon fine salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Turn gently so the vegetables are coated. Place the garlic cut sides upward where possible, keeping the halves easy to retrieve later.
Step 2: Roast until completely tender
Roast for about 40–50 minutes, turning the peppers and onions once. Check after 35 minutes if your dish is shallow or the vegetables are cut small. A knife should pass easily through an onion wedge and the garlic cloves should feel soft when pressed with a spoon.
Some dark edges on the peppers are welcome; black, brittle patches are not. If the pan dries out before the onions soften, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking. If everything is tender but very watery, give it a few more minutes uncovered. Judge the vegetables as well as the clock.
Step 3: Cook the pasta and prepare the roasted garlic
While the vegetables finish roasting, cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package, stopping just short of your preferred tenderness. Reserve 1 cup cooking water before draining. The pasta will finish briefly in the sauce, so it should still hold its shape.
Remove the bay leaf and woody thyme stems from the roasting dish. Let the garlic cool enough to handle, then squeeze the soft cloves out of their skins. Discard the skins and any tough or scorched fragments. For another substantial short-pasta meal, my one-pan beef rigatoni uses a different sauce and cooking sequence.
Step 4: Blend the vegetables with ricotta and herbs
Let the roasted mixture stop steaming vigorously. Transfer the peppers, onions, tomatoes, peeled garlic and pan juices to a blender that is approved for warm foods. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, basil and oregano. Blend until creamy, pausing to scrape the sides if needed.
Follow your blender’s hot-liquid instructions, work in batches and leave space in the jar. Never seal steaming liquid in a personal blender cup. An immersion blender in a tall heatproof container is another option. Taste the sauce before adding extra salt. It should be thick enough to cling to pasta, but still flow when spooned.
Step 5: Toss gently and serve
Warm about 3 cups sauce in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add the drained rigatoni and toss for 1–2 minutes. Add more sauce if needed, then loosen with a little reserved pasta water only if the coating is too thick. You may not need all the sauce or any additional water.
Serve promptly in warm bowls. The sauce thickens as it cools, so stop cooking while it still looks creamy. A small basil sprig is enough garnish. For a contrasting texture, offer a romaine and endive salad alongside the pasta.
Substitutions and useful adjustments
Penne or medium shells can replace rigatoni. Use the same dry weight and follow their package cooking times. Long pasta works, but the thick sauce is particularly easy to distribute through short hollow shapes.
Yellow or orange peppers give a sweeter-looking, paler sauce. Green peppers have a more pronounced vegetal flavor and change the color, so replace only one pepper if you want to keep the original balance. For a different tomato preparation, see my fresh tomato sauce.
Cottage cheese can replace ricotta when blended thoroughly, but it may taste saltier and be more fluid. A small amount of cream cheese gives a heavier, tangier result; it is not a direct cup-for-cup replacement. This is a dairy-based recipe, so omitting the ricotta produces a different roasted vegetable sauce rather than the same creamy finish.
If fresh oregano is unavailable, use ½ teaspoon dried oregano and add it before roasting. Use basil at the blending stage to preserve its fresh aroma. For a separate herb-centered meal, homemade pesto pasta follows its own proportions.
Questions before cooking
Why is my sauce grainy?
The onions or garlic may still be firm, or the blender may need more time. Check tenderness before blending and use smooth ricotta. A slightly textured sauce is normal, but hard vegetable pieces indicate incomplete roasting.
Why is the pasta swimming in sauce?
The vegetable yield changes with size and ripeness. Start with part of the sauce and add more to coat. Keep extra sauce for another portion rather than increasing the pasta cooking time to absorb it.
Can I prepare the sauce ahead?
Yes. Roast and blend it, cool promptly and refrigerate separately from the pasta. Reheat gently, then toss with freshly cooked rigatoni. This keeps the noodles firmer than storing the whole dish together.
How do I store leftovers?
Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours and use within 3 days. Reheat to 165°F, adding a splash of water as needed. The sauce may be less silky after freezing because the ricotta can separate slightly.
More pasta dinners and serving ideas
For another creamy dinner, try lemon and garlic pasta or mozzarella and Parmesan pasta. Their sauces are separate recipes, not additions needed here.
A Greek tomato and cucumber salad gives a fresh side. If you prefer seafood for another evening, creamy shrimp pasta offers a different main dish.
Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Peppers Tomatoes and Ricotta
Ingredients
- 10½ ounces dry rigatoni
- 3 medium red bell peppers seeded and cut into broad pieces
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes halved if large
- 2 small red onions cut into wedges
- 2 small heads garlic halved across the cloves
- 7 ounces ricotta
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 small sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon fine salt plus more for pasta water and to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Reserved pasta cooking water as needed
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Place thyme, bay, peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic in a large roasting dish. Coat with oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast 40–50 minutes, turning once, until the vegetables and garlic are completely tender. Add a little water if the dish dries out.
- Cook rigatoni according to the package, reserving 1 cup cooking water. Remove bay and woody thyme stems. Squeeze garlic cloves from their skins.
- Let vegetables stop steaming vigorously. Blend with pan juices, garlic, ricotta, Parmesan, basil and oregano using equipment suitable for warm foods.
- Warm about 3 cups sauce in a skillet. Toss with pasta for 1–2 minutes, adding more sauce or a little pasta water as needed. Serve promptly.
