This chorizo pasta recipe with roasted red peppers is a proper midweek winner…big on flavour, low on effort. You’ve got smoky, spicy chorizo sizzling away in the pan, sweet strips of roasted red pepper cutting through the richness, and a creamy tomato sauce that brings it all together. It’s bold, punchy, and ready in around 25 minutes.
The best part? It works with whatever pasta you’ve got lying around, and it only needs a handful of ingredients to taste like something you’d order in a restaurant. It’s one of those dinners that feels like a treat but fits easily into your everyday cooking.
If you’re into bold, smoky flavours, my Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is another one to try—spicy, creamy, and just as weeknight-friendly.
🍴 Tools You’ll Need
Non-Stick Frying Pan – A pan like this gives you an even sear on the chorizo without sticking.
Garlic Press – Speed things up with a garlic press like this to avoid sticky fingers.
Microplane Grater – Perfect for finely grating Parmesan or Pecorino, grab one like this.
Pasta Tongs – Toss the pasta through the sauce without making a mess using tongs like these.
Chorizo Pasta Recipe with Roasted Red Peppers
Ingredients
- 180 g pasta penne, fusilli or rigatoni work well
- 100 g chorizo sliced into half-moons
- 1 small red onion finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced into strips
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 100 ml double cream or crème fraîche
- Salt and black pepper
- Grated Parmesan or Pecorino to serve (optional)
- Fresh basil or parsley to garnish (optional)
- Olive oil for cooking
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving a splash of the pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan like this over medium heat.
- Add the chorizo and fry for 3–4 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Stir in the sliced red onion and cook for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Use a garlic press like this to get the garlic prepped fast.
- Add the tomato purée and stir through, letting it cook out for a minute.
- Stir in the sliced roasted red pepper and pour in the cream. Let the sauce simmer gently for 2–3 minutes.
- Toss in the drained pasta. Use pasta tongs like these to toss it all together with a splash of reserved pasta water if needed.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with grated parmesan and fresh herbs on top, use a microplane like this for the best fluffy parmesan
Top Tips for this Chorizo Pasta Recipe with Roasted Red Peppers
Crisp the chorizo first: Letting it caramelise before adding anything else brings out loads of smoky flavour.
Use jarred roasted peppers to save time, they’re sweet, soft, and ready to go straight into the pan.
Crème fraîche works too if you don’t have cream, just add it at the end off the heat to stop it splitting.
Like it spicy? Add a pinch of chilli flakes or swap in spicy chorizo for extra heat.