Rasta Pasta is the spicy, creamy pasta recipe you didn’t know you needed! This simple pasta dish packs so much flavor!
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I literally sat down with my Jamaican mom to ask her all about this dish and what makes a truly authentic rasta pasta recipe.
What I learned is exactly what I’m sharing here today with you.
So what is Rasta Pasta?
Rasta Pasta was created by Lorraine Washington, a Jamaican-born chef who owned a restaurant called Paradise Yard. It was a bed of pasta with lots of bright colors and of course the spice.
Many versions you see online contain meat, however, Rastafarians don’t typically consume meat which is why this version is more authentic to what you’d actually eat in a Jamaican resaturant.
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Why You’ll Want to Try Rasta Pasta
Easy
Besides the scotch bonnet pepper, all the ingredients are easy to find in your local grocery stores. The recipe itself is also easy and is ready in under 30 minutes.
Meal Prep
This recipe is a great meal prep option especially because the longer it sits, the more time the flavors have to marry together.
One Pot
No one likes cleaning up a ton of dishes. This entire recipe is made in one pot!
Notes on Ingredients:
Pasta
Traditionally, rasta pasta is made with fettuccine, to resemble dreadlocks, however, I have using penne in the recipe. It soaks up more sauce by going into the center of the noodles and easier, bite-sized pieces.
Substitute: You can use gluten free pasta if needed. Alternatively, use can also use fettuccine. Truly, any pasta would work for this recipe.
Peppers
This recipe is colorful so using a variety of bell pepper colors is best. For some of the heat, a scotch bonnet pepper is also used.
Substitute: Using just one color bell pepper will also work. If you have trouble locating a scotch bonnet pepper, a habanero is a close match and will work as well.
Full Fat Coconut Milk (Canned)
Coconut milk is thick and creamy and leads to not only a better sauce, but a creaminess that can’t be beat.
Substitute: You can use ANY non-dairy milk in this recipe. Noting that you want to make sure it’s not flavored with any sweeteners or flavorings like vanilla. Thicker non-dairy milks like soy or creamy oat would be best, but note that using something not as thick as the coconut will take longer to reduce.
Jerk Seasoning
In the video, I make my own seasoning blend using 19 different spices. While I love it because I get to control the ingredients, you are welcome to just use a store-bought jerk seasoning.
Substitute: None as this is what makes the dish. If you don’t want as much heat, feel free to reduce by half and then as more as desired.
Add-ins
Other ingredients like okra, asparagus, mushrooms, callaloo (or spinch if you can’t find), chickpeas, or vegan chicken strips if desired are all good add-in choices.
Tips on spice levels:
This dish is definitely spicy between the diced scotch bonnet pepper and the jerk seasoning. However I have a few tips if you’re looking to reduce:
- Instead of dicing, leave the scotch bonnet pepper whole. You will get some of the flavor but not so much direct spiciness. Remove the pepper before eating.
- Reduce the jerk seasoning amount in half and then add in more as desired after stirring and tasting.
- If you already made the pasta as written, and it’s too spicy for you, then you can add a teaspoon of sugar and another ½ to 1 cup more coconut milk. These will help mellow out the spice level. Additionally, you could eat it with an avocado which helps the spiciness left in your mouth after eating.
What is my Jerk Seasoning recipe?
If you watched the video, you saw that I made my own Jerk Seasoning recipe. Here are the ingredients and amounts I did to make my own:
1 ½ tablespoon dried thyme
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tsps dried scotch bonnet or cayenne pepper
2 tsps white pepper
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground all spice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ teaspoon coriander
Other must try vegan Jamaican recipes:
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Authentic Rasta Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz Penne pasta
- 2 tbsps Olive oil
- 3 Bell peppers, sliced (use different colors for best visual results)
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and diced*
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
- 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 1 ½ tablespoons Jamaican Jerk seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt, more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper, more or less to taste
- 15 ounce Full fat coconut milk
- 1 ¼ cups Vegetable stock
- ½ cup Vegan parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once ready, add your pasta and cook for only half the amount of time as the boxed directions call for. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining your noodles.
- While that's cooking, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add the onions, bell peppers, and scotch bonnet pepper. Stir together and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until they are softened and start to have a char. Careful not to burn by stirring often.
- Add in the thyme sprigs and garlic and stir together. Let cook for one more minute. Then add in the jerk seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir together again.
- Add in coconut milk and vegetable stock and stir together. Add in your pasta and push under your sauce to allow to finish cooking. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes. If needed, add a splash of the reserved pasta water at a time to thin out as desired.Once thickened, add in vegan parmesan if desired, and then serve and enjoy.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions:
Coconut Milk and the optional vegan parmesan are the only two ingredients that may contain an allergen.
You can swap the coconut milk with any non-dairy milk, just noting it may take longer to reduce.
For the vegan parmesan, just look for one with coconut oil or omit.
Many international stores will carry these. Bonus points if you live in an area that has a Jamaican or Caribbean store. Alternatively, we’ve also seen Mexican grocery stores in the US carry them as well.
If you still can’t find, a habanero will work as a substitute.
Yes! Let cool completely and then leave in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
We’d recommend freezing this without the pasta and then we ready, thaw and heat the pasta sauce back up before adding in your pasta.
Easy to make & delicious. Your recipes are always a hit with my family.
Awww thank you so much!!!
This was very delicious. I tried it with Yellow Lentil Penne and added tofu but it was still creamy, flavorful and satisfying!
We are so glad you enjoyed it! Using Yellow Lentil Penne and adding tofu sounds like a fantastic way to pack in even more protein. We are thrilled it turned out creamy and satisfying for you. Thanks for cooking with us!
You know when you eat something so good it’s like a hug from your Grandma and your Momma all a once? Yeah, this is like that. I found the Jerk mix in your files and, yes, fresh mixed IS better. Thank y’all for a really great recipe! Definitely going in our rotation here!!
That is such a nice compliment thank you! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and we appreciate you giving it a try!
Delicious and surprisingly easy!
Thank you so much!
Quite good, I’m not dairy-free so I used regular parmesan. I only had jalapenos so it wasn’t too hot.
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! We’re glad that it was a hit!