A creamy rasta pasta recipe with chicken, sliced bell peppers, and flavoured with punchy Jamaican jerk seasoning!
It's on the table in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect easy pasta recipe for busy weeknights!
Traditionally, colorful bell peppers, flavourful Caribbean jerk seasoning, pasta, and cream are the main ingredients needed to make Jamaican rasta pasta! I also like to add leftover chicken to my recipe too!
This easy rasta pasta will certainly get your taste buds salivating, that's for sure!
👩🍳 Love easy pasta recipes? Try my creamy cajun chicken pasta!
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What is rasta pasta?
Rasta pasta was first created in Jamaica in 1986, by chef Lorraine Washington. The dish included green, yellow, and red bell peppers, which her customers thought were reminiscent of the Rastafarian flag, hence the name 'rasta pasta' was coined!
✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Flavourful and delicious pasta recipe
- Quick (less than 30 minutes) and perfect for hectic weeknights
- Colourful and vibrant
- Leftover roast chicken recipe - you might also like my leftover chicken tacos too!
🛒 Ingredients
- Pasta - I like to use a short pasta such as penne or rigatoni, but originally tagliatelle was used (remincent of dreadlocks in rastafarian culture).
- Olive Oil - or use sunflower oil.
- Onions & garlic - finely chopped
- Peppers - sliced red, green and yellow peppers are needed.
- Seasonings - jerk seasoning and cayenne pepper give the dish a real bite!
- Creamy Sauce - made from stock (vegetable or chicken), double (heavy) cream and Parmesan.
- Chicken - leftover rotisserie chicken, or alternatively you can use two fresh chicken breasts, thinly sliced, instead.
- Optional garnishes - chopped green onions (spring onions) and red pepper flakes.
🔪 How to make rasta pasta with chicken
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large skillet and sauté the onions, garlic, and bell peppers for 5 minutes until softened.
Two: Stir in the Caribbean seasonings of jerk seasoning and cayenne pepper.
Three: Pour in the cream, stock (broth) and sprinkle in the grated Parmesan. Stir until a cheesy sauce forms.
Four: Add in the cooked pasta and leftover rotisserie chicken. Mix well and serve with more Parmesan.
💭 Top tips
- When cooking the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining. You can add this to the sauce to help it emulsify and become silky smooth.
- Cook pasta to al dente, so it still has a bit of bite and isn't too soft.
- If using fresh chicken breasts, cut them into thin strips and add them to the pan after you have sauteed the onions and peppers. Cook on a medium-high heat until they have changed colour.
- If you have time, have a go at making your own homemade jerk seasoning!
- Try making this recipe in your instant pot!
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve with a side of green vegetables such as air fryer asparagus, or roasted courgettes!
📖 Variations
- Make it with prawns (shrimp rasta pasta) instead of chicken.
- Make it vegetarian friendly by omitting the chicken and adding more peppers, or other vegetables such as corn.
- For a vegan rasta pasta, substitute the double cream for the same quantity of coconut milk and omit the Parmesan.
- Up the spice and double the amount of cayenne pepper!
🥡 Storage
To Store. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Reheat. Place in a microwave safe dish and cook on full power until piping hot.
To Freeze. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating.
❓ FAQs
Jerk seasoning has a bit of heat but not overwhelmingly so. Omit the cayenne pepper from the recipe if you prefer your food less spicy!
Ingredients in Jamaican jerk seasoning include cumin, nutmeg, allspice, smoked paprika, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
😋 More easy pasta recipes
- Paprika Chicken Pasta
- Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic and Herbs
- BBQ Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Halloumi Pasta with Chorizo
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
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Recipe
Best Rasta Pasta Recipe with Chicken
Ingredients
- 350 g Pasta short pasta like penne or rigatoni
- 200 g Cooked Chicken e.g leftover rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Peppers 1 each of red, yellow and green, sliced
- 1 Onion chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoon Jerk Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 100 ml Vegetable Stock
- 80 ml Double Cream
- 80 g Parmesan grated
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Set aside.350 g Pasta
- Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large skillet and sauté the onions, garlic, and bell peppers for 5 minutes until softened.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 Peppers, 1 Onion, 3 Garlic Cloves
- Stir in the Caribbean seasonings of jerk seasoning and cayenne pepper.2 tablespoon Jerk Seasoning, ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- Pour in the cream, stock (broth) and sprinkle in the grated Parmesan. Stir until a cheesy sauce forms.100 ml Vegetable Stock, 80 ml Double Cream, 80 g Parmesan
- Add in the cooked pasta and leftover cooked chicken. Mix well and serve with more Parmesan. You may want to add in some of the reserved pasta cooking water at this point, in order to make the sauce glossy and smooth.200 g Cooked Chicken, 350 g Pasta
Video
Notes
- When cooking the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining. You can add this to the sauce to help it emulsify and become silky smooth.
- Cook pasta to al dente, so it still has a bit of bite and isn't too soft.
- If using fresh chicken breasts, cut them into thin strips and add them to the pan after you have sauteed the onions and peppers. Cook on a medium-high heat until they have changed colour.
- If you have time, have a go at making your own homemade jerk seasoning!
- Try making this recipe in your instant pot!
- Make shrimp rasta pasta instead of chicken.
- Make it vegetarian-friendly by omitting the chicken and adding more peppers, or other vegetables such as corn.
- For a vegan rasta pasta, substitute the double cream for the same quantity of coconut milk and omit the Parmesan.
- Up the spice and double the amount of cayenne pepper
Nadja
Love how easy it is to prepare, and it's a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. Thanks for sharing.
Mirlene
Love a good Rasta Pasta recipe. This meal turned out so good and very easy to follow. It is on rotation in our home.
Cara
So easy and so flavourful! Absolutely loved it. New weeknight fav!
Carrie Robinson
I am just loving all of the flavors happening in this pasta dish! Definitely going to have to add this to my weekly meal plan soon. 🙂
Kechi
This looks so flavorful and yummy; I love anything with Jerk seasoning! Definitely going to make some!
Emily
Love the name! My whole family liked the recipe too. Thanks for coming up with such an easy to make dinner.