If you’re looking for new ways to enjoy pasta, today’s Rasta pasta recipe is for you. This unique pasta dish uses penne, chicken breast, and all three types of bell peppers, making it a colorful and delish main course.
Let’s have a look at Rasta pasta’s origin, its ingredients, and how you can tweak it to suit your taste.
What Is Rasta Pasta?
Rasta pasta is a product of fusion food between two contrasting cuisines: Caribbean and Italian. The pasta, cheese, and creamy sauce represent the Italian touch to this dish, while the seasoning and bell peppers are what earn the dish its name.
This dish originated in Jamaica, where chef Lorraine Washington made this dish for a group of construction workers. They realized that the tricolor bell peppers resembled the Rasta colors (red, green, and yellow), hence the name Rasta pasta.
Is Rasta Pasta Healthy?
Based on our nutrition guidelines, we believe our Rasta pasta is healthy.
This dish is suitable if you are following a weight loss plan because it contains 503 calories and 10.1 g of saturated fat per serving.
We also choose our main ingredients and seasoning to maintain a moderate level of sugar and sodium, which are 4.5 g and 541.8 mg respectively.
Chicken provides 31 g of protein in this pasta dish. The high protein content promotes muscle health. However, raw or undercooked chicken may cause food poisoning, so it is vital that you cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Bell peppers contain a lot of carotenoids, which support eye health. Furthermore, they are an excellent source of vitamin C, which contributes to supporting the immune system.
Rasta Pasta Ingredients
- Chicken: Jerk chicken is one of the most popular dishes throughout the Caribbean, so our choice for this Caribbean-themed recipe is skinless and boneless chicken breasts. It is a lean and versatile cut that can be juicy and flavorful if cooked right and paired with flavorful seasonings.
- Pasta: Penne pasta works well with creamy sauces, thanks to its hollow shape.
- Seasoning: Seasoning is what sets this dish apart from other pasta versions all around the world. Most commonly used seasonings include salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and paprika. Jerk seasoning is warm and spicy, which is the signature flavor profile of this Caribbean blend.
- Sauce: The base of this sauce is a blend of unsalted chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream. With such a flavorful set of ingredients, this sauce is deliciously smooth and creamy. We also add all-purpose flour to help it thicken.
- Vegetables: The tricolor bell peppers are the most iconic ingredients of Rasta pasta. The flavor base of this dish is caramelized onions and garlic, an age-old combination. We top it all off with some parsley and scallions.
Recipe Variations
- Substitutes for the meat: Jerk seasoning and chicken are a match made in heaven. However, shrimp, pork, or sausage are all great options for this pasta.
- Use different pasta shapes: The sauce is very versatile so you can replace penne with long pasta such as fettuccine or tagliatelle.
- Make it vegan or vegetarian: The signature ingredients of Rasta pasta are bell peppers and the seasoning, so you can omit the protein altogether. You can also take it a step further and make it vegan, which means removing the cheese. We recommend using vegetable broth and vegan cream in place of chicken broth and heavy cream, respectively.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Rasta pasta will stay in good condition in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in airtight containers. We don’t recommend freezing this pasta because the creamy sauce may break in the freezer.
Using the microwave, you can reheat this pasta for a few minutes until warm. We prefer reheating it on a skillet on medium-high heat. Remember to add a bit of heavy cream if you find the pasta has absorbed too much sauce and made the dish dry.
What to Serve With Rasta Pasta
We recommend the refreshing combo of a salad and a beverage to accompany this special pasta dish.
How to Make Rasta Pasta
Our Rasta pasta recipe brings you a unique take on a classic Italian dish featuring penne pasta, chicken, bell peppers, and Caribbean seasoning.
- cook TIME 18 mins
- prep TIME 12 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 503 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 15 ozcooked penne pasta (from 7.5 oz uncooked)
- 12 ozskinless boneless chicken breasts (cubed)
- 2 ozred bell peppers (cut into strips)
- 2 ozyellow bell peppers (cut into strips)
- 2 ozgreen bell peppers (cut into strips)
- 2 ozonions (minced)
- 2 tbspscallions (finely chopped)
- 1 tbspgarlic (minced)
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 ozshredded parmesan cheese
- 4.5 tbspheavy cream
- 1 cupunsalted chicken broth
- 0.5 cupmilk
- 1.5 tbspunsalted butter
- 0.5 tbspall-purpose flour
- 1.5 tspJerk seasoning
- 1 tsppaprika
- 0.5 tspCajun seasoning
- 0.5 tspsalt
- 0.5 tsppepper
- 2 tbspparsley (finely chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Cube the chicken: Don’t rinse raw chicken under running water because bacteria on the chicken can spread to other surfaces. Slice the chicken breasts against the grain into large slices, then cut those slices crosswise into cubes.
Boil the pasta: Boil the pasta until al dente. Simply cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions, then bite into it. If it is chewy but tender, it’s good to go.
Cut the bell peppers: Slice 1/2 inch off the top and bottom of the peppers. Cut through the flesh, open the peppers, and use your knife to discard the core. Lay the halves skin-side down and cut into strips into desired thickness.
Mince the onions: Cut the onions in half and lay a half cut-side down on the cutting board. Slice vertically across the onion but do not cut off the root. Turn the onion 90 degrees and cut crosswise. Continue chopping with a rocking motion until the onion is minced.
Mince the garlic: Separate cloves of garlic from the bulb. Peel the skin and cut off the root. Give the cloves a rough chop, then continue chopping with a rocking motion until it’s minced.
Chop the scallions: Cut off the root end and line up the scallions. Thinly slice the green part with your knife.
Chop the parsley: Bunch the parsley into a small mound and chop finely.
Cook:
Saute the chicken: Place a pan on medium heat until it’s hot. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 12 oz chicken breasts, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning. Stir for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Saute the bell peppers: Add 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp garlic, and 2 oz onion and stir for 1 minute. Add 6 oz bell peppers (all three colors) and stir for another 2 minutes.
Make the sauce: Add 1 cup unsalted chicken broth, 1/2 cup milk, and 4 1/2 tbsp heavy cream.
Add the seasonings: Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 tsp Jerk seasoning, and 1/2 tsp paprika. Stir until combined.
Cook the ingredients together: Add 15 oz cooked penne pasta, chicken, and 0.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese. Cook for 3 minutes.
Serve: Sprinkle 0.5 oz parmesan, 2 tbsp parsley, and 2 tbsp scallions on top. Enjoy.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer