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Welcoming Wednesday with this cozy, Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs. This is not your average alla vodka pasta. Fire-roasted red peppers with fresh herbs, shallots, and garlic, all pureed into a creamy tomato vodka sauce that’s vibrant and so delicious! Then finish off this pasta with cheesy oregano bread crumbs for a dinner that’s mouth-wateringly delicious. This is a great pasta to serve any night of the week.
Yesterday I shared a Valentine’s Day dessert and today it’s all about the Valentine’s Day dinner. Enter this roasted red pepper alla vodka pasta…with cheesy breadcrumbs. Because you guys know how much I love a good topping (never enough toppings).
I have been working on this pasta for weeks. When I first set out to make this it had nothing to do with an alla vodka sauce and everything to do with a slowly caramelized red pepper pasta. But here’s the thing, it wasn’t working. If I’m being very honest with you all, this has been the case with so many recipes as of late. I’m definitely struggling a bit and dishes are taking a lot more effort than usual. But once I get them right they are so good and delicious and I love them so much.
That is surely this case with this pasta. It took so many test runs, but now that it’s ready for sharing, I could not love it more. The roasted red peppers within this extra creamy vodka sauce are such a step up in the flavor department in comparison to a classic alla vodka sauce.
It’s creamy, rich, topped with addictingly delicious breadcrumbs, and truly one of my better pasta recipes. Perfect for date night, but great for any other night as well.
The details.
Start out by making the breadcrumbs. When I first made this pasta, I didn’t add any breadcrumbs. It was still good, but I wasn’t as excited about the recipe, I felt it needed something more.
Enter the cheesy breadcrumbs made simply with Panko, fresh oregano, and plenty of nutty Manchego cheese. While these breadcrumbs may seem simple, they add texture to the pasta and a cheesy, crunchy bite.
So. Very. Delicious.
Once the breadcrumbs are toasted, drain off the jar of roasted red peppers and puree them either in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. The roasted red peppers add so much flavor to this sauce. They really make it just a touch more special than most other vodka sauces.
Now, the pasta. The first time around I tried to use a fancier cut of pasta. Even though the sauce was good, the pasta kind of fell apart on me. So the second time, I went to my go-to, bucatini. Bucatini is a little thicker than spaghetti. There’s a hole running through the center of the noodle that creates room for the sauce to snuggle into. It’s the perfect cut of pasta for something like an alla vodka sauce.
You’ll want to first boil off the pasta, then just before draining reserve some of the pasta cooking water. This step is crucial, so please make sure not to dump the water before scooping some out. The pasta water will be used for creating a creamy sauce later.
Finishing up the pasta.
While the pasta is boiling away, start cooking the fresh red bell pepper, shallots, and garlic. You’ll want to cook these down until caramelized. Next stir in a bit of tomato paste, a splash of vodka, milk for creaminess, and butter for richness. Now add in some of the pasta cooking water and simmer the sauce until it has reduced down a bit and thickened. At this point, your kitchen is going to smell amazing. There should be hints of garlic and butter throughout…it’s the best of Italian smells.
When the sauce is ready, toss it with the pasta and then immediately serve topped with plenty of breadcrumbs and additional cheese.
Simple. Easy. So. Very. Good.
So, what does the vodka really do?
Now I want to start by staying that if you do not drink, I totally understand. In this case, just swap the vodka for chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even just water. That will be totally fine and your sauce will still be great.
If you do drink, or you’re ok with using alcohol for cooking, you must add the vodka to your sauce. It’s a game-changer. The vodka adds a sharp bite that helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes. When used in small amounts, the vodka will boost and intensify the aroma of the sauce. The key is to slowly simmer the sauce. This will release its flavors and cook out the alcohol. So yes, this is safe to serve to kids!
I love the idea of serving this up as Valentine’s day dinner, but don’t let that be the only night of the year that you make this. Honestly, this is pretty simple, quick, and easy. Yes, there are some steps involved, but none of them are hard or too time-consuming.
You can even prepare the sauce way ahead of time, then just add the pasta before you’re ready to serve. This would make a great dinner party meal with a side salad and some extra crusty bread (highly recommend the no-knead bread from HBH Super Simple). Or just a fancier weeknight dinner at home with the family. Either way (or day) you serve this pasta up, it’s going to be good. It’s one of those types of pasta that’s easily loved by all.
If you make this roasted red pepper alla vodka pasta with cheesy oregano breadcrumbs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 458 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 pound bucatini pasta
- 1 (16 ounce) jar roasted red peppers drained
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk , whole milk, or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, breadcrumbs, and 1 tablespoon oregano, and cook, stirring occasionally until the breadcrumbs are toasted all over, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese and cook another 2 minutes, until fried. Remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Set the crumbs aside.2. Add the red peppers to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain.4. Meanwhile, place the skillet over high heat along with 4 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the sliced red bell pepper, shallots, garlic, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste and vinegar, cook 2 minutes. Stir in the roasted red pepper puree, vodka, 1 cup pasta cooking water, milk, and butter. Simmer for 15-30 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.5. Add the pasta and basil, tossing to combine. If needed, thin the sauce with additional pasta cooking water.6. Divide the pasta among plates and top with breadcrumbs and additional cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
To Replace the Vodka: use an equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth.
To Make Ahead: prepare the alla vodka sauce through step 4. You can simmer the sauce on low for up to 2 hours, adding additional water if the sauce thickens too much. The sauce can be made 4 days ahead of time and chilled in the fridge. To serve, warm on the stove, then boil the pasta and toss with the sauce just before serving.
To Freeze: the alla vodka sauce can be made, then frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw, then use as directed.
Breadcrumbs: will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
This post was originally published on February 12, 2020
Made this tonight for my mom’s birthday dinner. Her two favorite things are pasta and roasted red peppers, so this was perfect! It was absolutely amazing! My husband and my parents raved about it. I can’t wait to make this again. Such a great dinner for company, and so easy to pull together!
Aw that is so sweet of you! I am so glad you all enjoyed this recipe, Robyn! Thank you! xTieghan
So delicious! I wish I had undercooked the pasta a little since the sauce was going to simmer longer than I realized (my bad for not reading ahead). But totally will make again!!
Thank you Teresa! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this for Valentine’s Day yesterday and it was perfect! I added some ground turkey (just cooked it before the shallot/pepper mixture, set it aside, then added it back in once all other sauce ingredients were combined to simmer with the rest of the sauce). Absolutely delicious!
That is so great to hear! Thank you for trying this recipe, Carly! I hope your Valentine’s Day was amazing! xTieghan
I made this last night for dinner and it was fabulous. Everyone loved it. Didn’t change a thing and I will say I think my favorite part is the fennel seed. I love all your recipes. Thank you
That is so amazing to hear! I hope you continue to enjoy all of the recipes you try! Thank you January! xTieghan
I’d eat this!!
Love it!! Thank you Ruth! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was amazingly delicious!! I have to ask though, how did you get that deep, dark, rich red color of the sauce in the photo?!? I followed the recipe exactly, except slightly less cream and pasta water as I wanted it a little thicker, but as soon as I added the cream, it turned a light red, orange color and stayed that way even through the 30 minute simmer. Didn’t detract from the flavor though! I will definitely make again. Took about 2 hours from start to finish since I wasn’t familiar with the recipe, but totally worth it!
Hi Betsy! I am so happy to hear that this turned out so well for you!! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
We just made this tonight and it was so, so good! We will definitely make this one again. I didn’t have vodka on hand so I used chicken stock. It turned out great. It was creamy and the flavor was so good. The breadcrumbs were super easy to make and they were so yummy. They are a MUST. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you Janelle! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Mmmmmm! Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmm! This looked too amazing not to try tonight!! With schools expecting to close tomorrow because of cold weather, this was perfection!!!! Even my nephew who does NOT like peppers devoured it! Thanks for the chicken broth/vodka substitute suggestion. The only vodka I have at home right now is flavored Mango/Pineapple, and wasn’t sure how well that would fly in this 😛 :P! Hah – next time. I also couldn’t find the pasta you suggested, so I used fettuccine which was perfect. Thanks again so much for this recipe! Another winner!
Thank you so much Allie! I am so happy to hear that this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Very delicious sauce! Better than anything simple even though the recipe is very simple to follow and just basic ingredients!
Thank you so much Elyse! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
This looks delicious! I’m wondering is it possible to use tequila instead of vodka? I have tequila leftover at home, and would rather use some sort of alcohol for that “sharp bite” you mentioned instead of plain broth.
Hey Christine! That is a very interesting idea…I think it could actually be great and love the idea. Yum! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’m super disappointed you didn’t share any valentines cocktails this year :/
This looks fantastic! When you say 3/4 of a cup of coconut milk or heavy cream in your ingredients list, do you mean milk? I notice you’ve referenced milk in the instructions. Does the percentage of the milk matter?
Hey Maddy! Yes, I mean milk. Recipe is all fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This looks amazing! If I wanted to add some meat to it, would you have any recommendations? Love all of your recipes!
Hi Jennifer! I would add browned spicy Italian sausage or Italian roasted chicken. Either would be so good! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This looks delicious! I might have to make it for Valentine’s Dinner at home…I was looking for the perfect recipe, and I think this is it!
One question: could I substitute caraway seeds for fennel seeds? I don’t have fennel seeds on hand, but do have caraway seeds…my spice cabinet is out of control so I’m trying to use up some of what I have before I buy new things! Or, would you suggest something else?
Hey Robbin! I am sure caraway seeds will be great! Love that idea!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Valentines night dinner right there!
Thank you.
Don’tworry about a few recipe tests not working out, take a day or two off. No cooking, you’ll come back to it fired up and raring to go. xx
Thank you so much Kelly! I hope you love this! xTieghan