Romesco Pasta Bake

Romesco Pasta Bake

This Romesco Pasta Bake is one we keep coming back to, honestly. There's something about that deep, smoky, roasted pepper sauce with toasted almonds that just hits different to a regular tomato bake. It's rich, it's got real depth, and when it comes bubbling out of the oven it looks properly impressive. We love making this one for friends because it feels a bit special without being a stress fest. If you've got 40 minutes and a roasting tray, you need to make this tonight.

Cook: 40 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large roasting tray
  • Second roasting tray
  • Large casserole dish
  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 4 red peppers
  • 4 banana shallots
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 120g almonds
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 500g pasta
  • plant-based cheese
  • plant-based parmesan

Method

1

For the romesco sauce

  • For the red peppers, trim the stalk, remove the seeds and roughly chop. Peel and roughly chop the shallots. Cut the garlic bulb in half to release the cloves. Transfer the prepped veg and cherry tomatoes into a large roasting tray, sprinkle with the paprika, sugar and salt. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until soft. Pop the almonds onto a second roasting tray, and roast for 10 minutes, until the nutty aromas are released
2

While the vegetables are roasting cook the pasta

  • Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Once cooked, drain away the water and spread over a large casserole dish
3

Return to the sauce

  • When the vegetables are soft, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb. Transfer to a food processor, add the almonds (reserving a handful for garnish if you want) and sherry vinegar and blend until you have a smooth sauce
4

Make the bake

  • Pour the red pepper sauce over the pasta and stir to coat. Then stir through the grated cheese
  • Bake in a hot oven until the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes

Tips & Variations

  • Toast those almonds properly: Don't skip the separate tray for the almonds. Ten minutes in the oven until they smell nutty makes a massive difference to the depth of the sauce. Trust us on this one.
  • Make the sauce ahead: The romesco sauce actually gets better as it sits, so you can roast everything the day before, blend it up and keep it in the fridge. Then it's just pasta, assemble and bake when you're ready.
  • Spice it your way: If you like a bit of heat, add a pinch of cayenne or some dried chilli flakes when you sprinkle on the paprika. Henry always adds a little extra smoky paprika too because more is more.

Why This Works

The trick here is roasting everything for the sauce rather than just blending raw ingredients together. Getting the peppers, shallots, garlic and tomatoes properly caramelised in the oven is what gives the romesco that smoky sweetness you just can't fake. The toasted almonds on top of that add a nutty richness that makes the whole thing taste like you've been cooking all day.