One Pot Creamy Fajita Pasta

One Pot Creamy Fajita Pasta

This one is genuinely on our regular rotation and we're not even slightly sorry about it. One pan, 25 minutes, and you've got this smoky, creamy, fajita-spiced pasta that tastes like it took way more effort than it did. The peppers go beautifully soft, the spices soak right into the sauce, and that plant-based milk brings everything together into something rich and comforting without being heavy. It's got that fajita flavour you love but in a form that's somehow even more satisfying. Make it tonight, seriously.

Cook: 25 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Large pan or pot (minimum 3-litre capacity)
  • Grater (for plant-based cheese)

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion - finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves - finely sliced
  • 1 chilli - finely sliced
  • 1 small bunch of coriander stalks
  • 1 red bell pepper - finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper - finely chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper - finely chopped
  • 1.1 litre plant-based milk
  • 400g penne pasta
  • 1 x 240g can of black beans - drained
  • 100g plant-based cheese - grated
  • 20g coriander leaves
  • 240g black beans drained
  • avocado - fanned
  • chilli flakes
  • lime wedges to serve

Method

1

First, make the sauce

  • Warm some olive oil in a pan and add the onion, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks
  • Stir everything around in the pan for 2-3 minutes to soften them slightly
  • Add the spices to the pan and stir them into the vegetables so they’re well covered
  • Add the peppers and stir well
  • Pour the plant-based milk in to the pan and warm it so very small bubbles are appearing at the edges of the pan
2

Then, add the pasta

  • Add the pasta to the pan and fold it into the rest of the ingredients, cook the pasta for 8 minutes so it’s almost ready (still al dente)
  • Add the Dairy Free Cheese and the Black Beans to pan and fold them into the pasta so they’re well mixed through
3

Serve and enjoy!

  • Sprinkle the coriander leaves into the pan, fold them into the pasta and serve
  • Place half a fanned Avocado on top of the pasta, sprinkle some on some chilli flakes and squeeze over some lime juice

Tips & Variations

  • Make it spicier: We love turning the heat up with an extra chilli or a good pinch of cayenne when we want something with a real kick. Trust us on this one.
  • Swap the pasta shape: Penne or rigatoni work brilliantly here because the sauce gets trapped inside. We've tried it with both and honestly either is great.
  • Add some protein: Ian loves chucking in a drained tin of black beans or kidney beans right before the pasta finishes cooking. It bulges it out and makes it even more filling.

Why This Works

The trick is adding the spices early and letting them toast into the onions and garlic before anything liquid goes in. That's where all the depth comes from. Cooking the pasta directly in the spiced milk means it absorbs all that flavour as it cooks, so every bit of pasta is seasoned all the way through rather than just coated on the outside.