Life is busy. I have a toddler. Dinner that can be ready in a flash is what it’s all about in my house. This paprika pepper pasta is a dish I keep coming back to, and variations of it, because it’s so quick and simple. The ingredients are easy to get hold of and inexpensive: exactly my kind of weeknight cooking. And, with three portions of veg in one meal everyone’s happy!
A smoky, sweet and savoury pasta sauce it is also delicious served with baked potatoes. The fresh basil really lifts the dish and parsley would work just as nicely.
top tips
I like to buy the pre-diced chorizo to make this as it saves time chopping the chorizo.
The sundried tomato paste is quite punchy so I tend to add a little extra to the adult portions.
This recipe makes really good leftovers. The sauce is good to freeze on its own and if you make too much pasta, stir the extra sauce through it and refrigerate for lunch the next day.
variations
The smoky saltiness of the chorizo is delicious in this dish, however, smoked bacon would work just as well.
For a vegetarian version, add a little extra smoked paprika and crumble over some salty feta. Similar to my tomato and feta pasta.
I have used courgettes instead of the peppers and it works really nicely; it adds a little more colour too.
Paprika Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion finely sliced
- 1 red pepper finely sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 75 g chorizo sliced or cubed
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 300 g spaghetti
- small handful basil roughly chopped
Instructions
- Get a large pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil onion and pepper. Fry for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the chorizo and fry for another five minutes.
- Stir the garlic, sundried tomato paste and smoked paprika into the pan and fry for one more minute.
- Tip the tinned tomatoes into the pan, and simmer with the lid off for 10-15 minutes to reduce the sauce. Stir occasionally to stop it sticking to the pan.
- While the sauce reduces cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions.
- Drain the spaghetti and serve in bowls. Top with the pepper sauce and sprinkle over the fresh basil.
Notes
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Smoked paprika is such an incredible addition to any dish! This pasta looks amazing.
This is beautiful. I love the recipe. Have you ever tries paprika Kreme? The company is Univer, and they sell it in tubes and jars, both sweet and spicy. It’s so fun to just squeeze into dips or sauces….
I love pasta for its ease of preparation. But this one will probably be spicy for me.
If you use ‘hot’ paprika then it would add a bit of a chilli kick but if you use the mild paprika then it wouldn’t have any chilli heat.