Rasta Pasta is a Caribbean inspired dish with bold flavor, a little heat, and a creamy sauce to round it out. The perfect one-pot dinner!
You’ll love this easy one-pot Caribbean-Italian Pasta Dish. For more fusion pasta dinners, try my Cajun Chicken Pasta and Taco Pasta.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta?
- The combination of seasoned jerk chicken with the creamy parmesan sauce creates a nice balance of flavors.
- This recipe is a one pot meal which makes dinner convenient, and is done in less than an hour.
Sabrina’s Rasta Pasta Recipe
This Caribbean inspired Rasta Pasta recipe is no-fuss, and can be made in under an hour. However, if you do want to make this dish even easier on hectic weeknights, use already cooked chicken like leftover Rotisserie Chicken or Grilled Chicken. Simply toss the pieces in jerk seasoning with a little melted butter or olive oil, then reheat in a hot skillet. What you get is a slightly spicy, nice and creamy, bold recipe that’s perfect for switching up the old routine. There are many ways to get creative with this dish, so be sure to check out my variations below.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 chicken breast , boneless and skinless
- 3 tablespoons jerk seasoning
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 1/2 red onion , thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- 1/2 cup cilantro , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook one minute shy of the package instructions.
- Drain and set aside, reserving ¼ cup pasta water. Do not rinse.
- Pound chicken to an even thickness with a kitchen mallet.
- Season chicken with jerk seasoning.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
- Remove chicken and let rest, tented with foil.
- Add the remaining butter to the skillet and reduce heat to medium.
- Add in the red onions and garlic stirring and cooking for 4-5 minutes until onions have softened.
- Add in the bell peppers, stir to coat and cook for 4-5 minutes until bell peppers have softened.
- Add in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper, pasta, and stir.
- Slice the chicken thinly into strips and add to the pan with the peppers, sauce and pasta stirring well.
- Cook for 2 minutes until sauce coats the pasta.
- If sauce thickens too much add in some of the reserved pasta water to thin.
- Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
I’ve noticed that jerk seasoning can range from mildly spicy, to seriously hot depending on the brand. Make sure to give yours a taste before using the full amount in the recipe. Adjust according to your heat preference because you can always add more, but you can’t take away heat.
Table of contents
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, although this tastes best when freshly made. You can prepare the chicken up to a day ahead, then make the pasta, peppers and cream sauce before serving. If you end up making the entire dish, reheat it gently on the stovetop. Add a splash of cream to thicken the sauce, or add a splash of chicken stock to thin the sauce.
How to Store
- Serve: Serve right away because the sauce gets thicker as it cools. Keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop, adding a bit of chicken stock if the sauce is too thick, or a splash of cream if it is too thin.
- Freeze: Once cooled, store in a sealed freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on low on the stove top until hot.
Variations
- Veggies: Add different veggies, depending on your taste or what is in season. You can make this with just green bell pepper instead of all three peppers. Garnish your dish with sliced green onions. Use jalapenos, dried chiles, or Scotch Bonnet peppers in your spice mix for extra heat.
- Seafood: Seafood is a staple of Jamaican cooking. Try with jerk shrimp or saltwater fish, preferably a white fish like tilapia, halibut or cod. If you can find it, red snapper is local to Jamaica and used in many Caribbean recipes.
- Pasta: Use shorter pasta shapes like rigatoni, fusilli, or farfalle. They have a good shape for picking up the creamy sauce
- Vegetarian Rasta Pasta: Swap out the chicken with tofu pieces or plant-based meat. If you want to just use vegetables, toss the onions in the jerk seasonings before cooking in the butter.
- Cream: You could add half a block of softened cream cheese to make this pasta extra creamy. Try full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
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