This Balsamic Sweet Pepper Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan is one of my new favorites. The parmesan and basil really kick this summer pasta dish up a notch. It’s quick and easy and requires no hot oven.
We eat a lot of pasta around here, but I feel like we really up our pasta game in the summer. It’s so quick and easy to make, you don’t have to turn your oven on, and you can add all kinds of great flavors to it!
Balsamic Sweet Pepper Pasta Recipe Ingredients
- Mini sweet peppers – I’ve been eyeing the mini sweet peppers at the store lately, and it turns out they go really well with pasta! I used a pound of them in this recipe.
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Balsamic vinegar
- Pasta – I used gluten-free brown rice pasta, but you can use traditional wheat pasta instead, if preferred.
- Parmesan cheese – There is a good amount of Parmesan in this recipe, which really contributes to the deliciousness of the dish. If you’re making this vegan, you can use a vegan Parm alternative or even nutritional yeast.
- Garlic – I included two cloves of minced garlic.
- Spinach – I used two cups of baby spinach leaves in this recipe.
- Chopped basil – Like the parmesan, the basil really contributes to the deliciousness factor of the dish. It’s also a great use of summer-garden basil.
How To Make This Sweet Pepper Pasta with Parmesan and Basil
- Cut the top off each pepper, remove the seeds, and slice them into thin rings. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, sliced peppers, salt, and pepper. Sauté peppers until tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook the peppers for about 3-5 minutes.
- While peppers are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water and place the pasta back into the pot.
- Immediately add the Parmesan cheese and minced garlic to the hot pasta and stir until combined. Next, add the cooked peppers, spinach leaves, and basil. Stir again and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Recipe Tips and Thoughts
- This recipe is gluten-free if you’re using gluten-free pasta. I used a brown rice pasta.
- This recipe is not vegan, but you can substitute a vegan parmesan alternative or leave the cheese off entirely.
- Store this dish in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- This balsamic sweet pepper pasta is one of my new favorites. It also helps that it has a good amount of Parmesan cheese and basil in it, too 🙂
Balsamic Sweet Pepper Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound mini sweet peppers
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 12 ounces pasta, I used gluten free brown rice pasta
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
Instructions
- Cut the top off each pepper, remove the seeds and slice them into thin rings. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, sliced peppers, salt and pepper. Saute peppers until tender and browned, about 15 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook peppers for about 3-5 minutes.
- While peppers are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Once pasta is finished cooking, drain the water and place pasta back into the pot.
- Immediately add the parmesan cheese and minced garlic to the hot pasta and stir until combined. Next, add the cooked peppers, spinach leaves and basil. Stir again and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Entree, Gluten Free
Do you serve it cold or hot? It looks delicious and I’ve got a lot of peppers to use up!
You could do either!
I very rarely review anything but I had to tell you that this recipe was delicious! I had stop light peppers and a bag of spinach that I had for a chicken recipe but made a different one instead. I Googled those two ingredients plus pasta and your Balsamic Sweet Pepper Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan popped up first. I didn’t have fresh basil or garlic but used the organic bottled ones I bought in Costco. My husband and I really enjoyed it and it made for a great lunch today! Thank you for this recipe:)
I’m so glad you found this recipe and that you both enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorite pasta recipes too 🙂
I’ve never been a fan of pasta salads. I’ve never liked the Italian dressing or other things people put in their pasta salads. So I went in search of a recipe that didn’t have those things and I found this one. My whole family is in love! It’s so light and refreshing and easy to make too. Thank you!
That is so nice to hear, Mindy!! I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed this one! It’s one of my favorites 🙂
Please comment whether you rinse all gluten free pastas before adding back to pot. We have had bad experiences with some various “wheat alternative” pastas; specifically loss of texture and lack of stickiness to cheeses.
Hi Deborah, I don’t ever wash my gluten free pasta before adding it back to the pot, but I do put a little olive oil in the water while I’m cooking it to keep it from sticking together 🙂
I adore pasta, in any form, but don’t eat it as often as I’d like – my metabolism isn’t what it used to be 😉 . I’ve been eyen’ those peppers too, Izzy and love what you’ve done with them here! They’re so flavorful and pair perfectly with spinach and pasta! I love how colorful and vibrant this is! Delicious work my dear! xo
Balsamic and sweet peppers sound like an epic combination- this looks delicious 🙂
We eat pasta all year round too but I think I love it most in summer! There is just so much awesome produce you can throw in! This dish looks delicious!