One Pot Pasta Alla Peperonata
I think I’ve just found my favourite summer pasta. Welcome back to one pot one portion, and welcome to my single-serve pasta alla pepperonata. A seasonal sunny pasta that can be eaten hot or cold, this is the perfect for anyone who wants cooking for one to be as easy as it is delicious. Onions, peppers and tomatoes get sliced and fried until jammy then in goes garlic and pasta and a couple of other flavoursome bits and bobs. It’s cooked until silky and smooth then plated up and finished with olive oil and fresh basil. I like to serve mine with a dollop of ricotta for a creamy finish!
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My pasta alla peperonata is a celebration of vibrant summer vegetables, cooked down to a rich, sweet, and incredibly satisfying sauce. It's a truly brilliant one pot recipe that allows the pasta to cook directly in the flavourful vegetable broth, absorbing all those delicious Mediterranean notes. The simplicity and minimal washing up make it an ideal choice for a dinner for one, proving that single serve recipes can be both effortless and gourmet.
About This Dish
My pasta alla peperonata is a simplified, single-serve take on a classic Italian dish. "Peperonata" refers to a stew of bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes, slow-cooked until sweet and tender. In my version, I bring these vibrant vegetables together in a one pot cooking method, allowing them to transform into a wonderfully jammy and flavourful sauce base right in the pan. The pasta then cooks directly in this rich mixture, soaking up every delicious drop.
This is my go-to summer recipe when I want something incredibly fresh, yet deeply comforting. The sweetness of the cooked peppers and tomatoes, combined with the sharpness of the red onion and the aromatic garlic, creates a truly harmonious flavour profile. Finished with fresh basil and a dollop of ricotta, it’s a truly satisfying single serve meal that feels like a gourmet experience without any fuss.
Why You'll Want to Make My Recipe
My Pasta Alla Peperonata is an absolute game-changer for anyone seeking a quick, satisfying, and utterly delicious meal designed specifically for a single serving. Whether you're a busy solo cooking enthusiast, a student looking for a substantial yet simple meal, or simply someone who appreciates the efficiency of one portion recipes, this pasta dish is crafted for you. It’s a truly healthy one pot recipe that delivers maximum flavour with minimal effort.
Single Serve
This recipe is inherently a single serve meal. Every ingredient is precisely portioned to create one perfect, delightful bowl of pasta, eliminating waste and ensuring you have just the right amount for a satisfying meal. It's truly a one portion recipe marvel, designed for effortless enjoyment when you're cooking for one. This makes it an ideal single serve option for lunch or dinner.
Quick & Easy
From chopping the vegetables to pulling your perfectly cooked pasta from the hob, this dish genuinely comes together quickly. With the vegetables softening and jammying in about 10 minutes, and the pasta cooking for 12-15 minutes, the active prep and cook time is minimal. This makes it a fantastic choice for a speedy lunch or a fuss-free dinner for one, perfect for those warm summer days. It's truly one of my favourite single serve recipes.
One Pot Cooking
This is the true beauty of this recipe! My Pasta Alla Peperonata is a genuine one pot cooking experience. All the ingredients – from the vegetables and aromatics to the pasta and cooking liquid – are cooked together in a single large pan. This significantly minimises washing up, ensuring you spend less time scrubbing and more time enjoying. It’s the ultimate convenience for cooking for one, making it a standout among one pot recipes and one pan recipes.
Top Tips for Perfect Pasta Alla Peperonata
Creating a perfectly rich and silky pasta alla peperonata is simple with these key tips.
- Slice Vegetables Finely: Finely slicing the red pepper and red onion ensures they cook down quickly and become wonderfully soft and "jammy" in the sauce, integrating seamlessly with the tomatoes.
- Cook Vegetables Until Jammy: Don't rush the initial step of cooking the onions, pepper, and tomatoes with the lid on for about 10 minutes. This allows them to release their moisture and really break down, concentrating their sweetness and creating that desired "jammy" consistency for the sauce base. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
- Add Garlic and Vinegar at the Right Time: Introduce the finely sliced garlic only after the other vegetables have softened. This prevents the garlic from burning and turning bitter. The red wine vinegar goes in for just a final minute after the garlic to deglaze the pan and add a crucial tangy brightness to the rich, sweet vegetables.
- Choose the Right Pasta: Short pasta shapes like casarecce, fusilli, or penne work beautifully in this one pot pasta recipe. Their nooks and crannies catch the silky sauce perfectly, and they cook consistently in the one-pot method.
- Adjust Water as Needed: The amount of water required can vary slightly depending on your specific pasta shape, the size of your pan (which affects evaporation), and your stove's heat. Keep an eye on it during the 12-15 minute pasta cooking time. If it looks like it's drying out too quickly, add a splash more hot water (from a kettle) until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is perfectly silky.
- Fresh Basil Last: Stir the fresh basil through only after the pasta is cooked and the sauce is silky. The heat will just wilt it, preserving its vibrant flavour and colour. Don't cook it for too long, as its delicate flavour can diminish.
Ingredients and Tools You'll Need
Having the right ingredients and a few basic tools makes whipping up my delicious single serve meal a breeze.
Essential Ingredients:
- Red Pepper: Finely sliced, it provides sweetness and vibrant colour to the peperonata base.
- Red Onion: Finely sliced, it adds a savoury base and sweetens as it cooks down.
- Cherry or Plum Tomatoes: Halved, these provide the juicy, acidic, and sweet backbone of the sauce, becoming wonderfully jammy.
- Olive Oil: Essential for sautéing the vegetables and adding richness to the sauce.
- Garlic: Finely sliced, it adds a crucial aromatic depth to the flavour base.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Adds a tangy brightness that cuts through the sweetness of the vegetables and lifts the overall flavour.
- Short Pasta: Such as casarecce (my preferred choice), fusilli, or penne. This cooks directly in the sauce, absorbing all the delicious flavours.
- Stock Cube: Half a chicken stock cube (or vegetable stock cube for a vegetarian option) dissolved in water provides a rich, savoury broth for cooking the pasta.
- Water: The liquid for cooking the pasta and creating the sauce.
- Fresh Basil: Adds a vibrant, aromatic, and distinctly Italian flavour to the finished dish.
- Salt: Essential for seasoning the vegetables and pasta water, enhancing all the flavours.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper adds a subtle warmth and aromatic finish.
To Serve:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A drizzle at the end adds a fresh, fruity richness and a beautiful sheen.
- Fresh Basil: Extra leaves for garnish, adding freshness and visual appeal to your pasta alla peperonata.
- Ricotta: A large spoonful of creamy ricotta provides a luscious, cooling contrast and a delightful creamy finish to the warm pasta.
Essential Tools:
- Large Pan with a Lid: Your designated one pot for this recipe. A pan with deep sides is ideal to accommodate all the ingredients for a single serving and ensure the lid fits snugly for simmering.
- Scales (optional): Handy for precise weighing of ingredients directly into the pan for ultimate one pot cooking convenience.
- Chopping Board: An indispensable tool for safely and neatly preparing all your vegetables and herbs.
- Sharp Knife: Essential for finely slicing and halving ingredients.
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon: For stirring the vegetables and pasta frequently during cooking.
Delicious Variations:
My Pasta Alla Peperonata is incredibly versatile! Feel free to adapt it to your taste or dietary needs. It's a fantastic example of how to cook for one.
- Making it Gluten-Free: Simply substitute the regular short pasta with your favourite gluten-free short pasta variety. Ensure your stock cube is also certified gluten-free. All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- Making it Dairy-Free: This recipe is naturally dairy-free in its main cooking, but the ricotta served at the end is dairy.
- Ricotta: Simply omit the ricotta, or serve with a dollop of dairy-free ricotta alternative or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour.
- Making it Vegan: This recipe is naturally vegan (assuming a vegetable stock cube is used) if the ricotta is omitted or substituted as above.
- Adding Protein: For an extra protein boost, stir in some cooked chickpeas, cannellini beans, flaked tuna (canned in olive oil), or pre-cooked and shredded chicken during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Different Vegetables: Feel free to get creative with other vegetables! Sliced courgette (zucchini), mushrooms, or even thinly sliced carrots could be added alongside the peppers and onions.
- Spice Level: Add a pinch of red pepper (chilli) flakes with the garlic for a subtle kick, or a little more for increased heat.
- Herb Variations: While fresh basil is classic, fresh oregano or parsley could also be stirred in for a different herbaceous note.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is Pasta Alla Peperonata?
A: Pasta alla peperonata is a vibrant Italian dish featuring pasta served with a rich sauce made from peppers (peperoni in Italian), onions, and tomatoes. The vegetables are typically cooked down until very tender and sweet, creating a deeply flavourful and often slightly jammy sauce. My version adapts this for one pot cooking to make it easy for a single serve meal.
Q: Can I use fresh pasta instead of dried short pasta?
A: This recipe is designed for dried short pasta, which cooks directly in the sauce. Fresh pasta cooks much faster and might become mushy in this one-pot method. If using fresh pasta, it would be best to cook it separately according to package directions, then drain and toss with the pre-made peperonata sauce.
Q: My pasta absorbed all the water too quickly! What should I do?
A: The amount of water needed can vary slightly depending on your specific pasta shape, the size of your pan (wider pans mean more evaporation), and your hob's heat. It's perfectly normal to need to adjust! Simply add a splash more hot water (from a kettle) a little at a time, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce reaches your desired silky consistency.
Q: Can this pasta be eaten cold?
A: Yes, absolutely! This pasta alla peperonata is delicious served both hot and cold. Its fresh, vibrant flavours make it an excellent summer recipe that can be enjoyed straight from the fridge, making it ideal for meal prep for a dinner for one or a packed lunch.
Q: What is casarecce pasta? Can I use other shapes?
A: Casarecce is a short, twisted pasta shape with a rolled-up edge, perfect for catching sauces. You can definitely use other short pasta shapes like fusilli, penne, rigatoni, or even farfalle (bow-tie pasta). Any shape that holds sauce well and cooks relatively quickly in a one-pot method will work.
Enjoy my incredibly easy, vibrant, and perfectly portioned Pasta Alla Peperonata! It's the ultimate example of how simple ingredients can create something truly delicious when you're cooking for one.
Ingredients
You need:
3/4 Red Pepper, finely sliced
1/2 Red Onion, finely sliced
85g Cherry or Plum Tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, finely sliced
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
100g Short Pasta (I used cassarecce)
1/2 Stock Cube (I used chicken but you could use vegetable)
400ml
5g Fresh Basil
Salt
Black Pepper
To serve:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
More Fresh Basil
A Spoon of Ricotta
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pan over a medium heat.
- Add in the onions, pepper and tomatoes and season with a little salt. Cook for around 10 minutes with a lid on, stirring frequenetly.
- Once the vegetables are soft, golden and slightly jammy, add in the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding in the vibegar and cooking for a final minute.
- Add in the pasta, stock cube and water and cook with the lid on again for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently until the pasta is al dente. You may need to add more water depending on the size and shape of your pan.
- Once the pasta is cooked and the sauce is silky, add in the fresh basil and stir through. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Plate up and top with a large spoonful of ricotta. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with some extra fresh basil
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I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
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This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
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