This Jamaican rasta pasta recipe is a one pan vegan Caribbean style tasty pasta dish with a medley of bell peppers, seasoned with the infamous jerk marinade and cooked down in a creamy coconut sauce.
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Introduction
If you are a big fan of all things pasta based then you are going to love this vegan pasta dish.
This cuisine is brimming with heat and true island flavour.
Best of all, it's a one pan dish that's so easy to bring together and great to prep ahead of time or in bulk to save yourself the hassle of being in the kitchen.
The origins
Growing up I don't recall hearing about "rasta pasta" it definitely wasn't a recipe which my family especially the older generation would be aware of.
However, the origins of the dish are of course in Jamaica, the home of the Rastafarian movement.
It actually was chef Lorraine Washington in 1985 at the Paradise Yard restaurant in Negril who created this infamous dish.
At the time she was preparing a meal for some blue collar workers (in the construction industry) where she plated up some ackee on a bed of tomato sauce with fettuccini.
The dish also contained the red, gold (yellow) and green colours that are associated with Rastafari and one of the carpenters said the fettuccini reminded him of locs, a popular hairstyle with Rasta's
The above description was very much akin to Rasta which is how the name Rasta Pasta came about.
A popular fusion dish, where Jamaican meets Italy, right in the very middle.
From there Rasta Pasta became a hit, people begged for the aforementioned to be put on the menu, where it remained until 1997.
In the late 1990's an Italian chef by the name of pops, decided to put his own signature twist on Lorraines dish.
He further went onto combining Jamaican flavours with Italian pasta and a cheesy creamy sauce.
This dish become rapidly popular to the point where pops opened his first Rasta Pasta restaurant in 2003.
What is rasta pasta?
In short, it is a fusion pasta based dish, with Jamaican and Italian influences.
The main ingredient being pasta, a popular ingredient in Italian food. The pasta is boiled until al dente.
Then it is combined with bell peppers, being the colour - red, yellow/gold and green. This is very important as these tri-colours represent the Rastafarian lifestyle.
Ingredients such as jerk paste, onion, scallion, garlic are used as the base. Cheese and cream/coconut milk are used to make the creamy sauce.
Do Rastas eat rasta pasta?
For clarity, no Rastas DO NOT eat rasta pasta. The dish actually got its name strictly from the aesthetics of chef Lorraine's cuisine more so then the actual lifestyle of a Rastafarian.
True Rasta people eat what is known as Ital food. This food is natural and derives from the earth.
It is free from additives, chemicals and is not processed (or minimally, if at all) with a medley of herbs, spices, fruit, hard food known as ground provisions and other natural foods.
It is very much a vegetarian/plant based lifestyle, however, it is not unheard of for some Rastas to eat a pescatarian diet, consuming only small fish (not shrimp)
If you were to visit Jamaica, it is very unlikely that you will find any Rastas consuming rasta pasta, as this wouldn't be considered ital food.
I thought I would clear that up especially for anyone who is reading this and is not familiar with Caribbean/Jamaican cuisines and the Rastafari movement.
Meat inclusion
This dish has certainly caused a worldwide divide, if I'm honest I don't feel comfort with including any form of meat and associated it with the word Rasta.
As someone from the islands, and who has Rastas in my family, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
I will respectfully adhere to my roots by not including meat in this dish, plus it does taste amazing without if I'm honest.
There are quite a lot of recipes out there who do, most of which, don't give it a second thought. With the majority being culturally unaware (mostly though ignorance).
As a result, this has sparked a debate as to whether meat should be included in the recipe.
However, with that being said, I've seen the following combinations;
- Jerk chicken and shrimp pasta
- Oxtail rasta pasta
- Rasta pasta with shrimp
The list goes on and on but my personal stance is to keep it ital (meat free) by omitting the use of poultry.
I've heard there is a restaurant in selling rasta pasta in Brooklyn.
Apparently Footprints' rendition is amazing, let's see if my plant based version can surpass them with uber amounts of flavour.
Reasons why you will love this recipe
- It is incredibly easy to make and time efficient
- A budget friendly meal
- Dinner will be ready in less than an hour
- Perfect for those busy weeknights
- Suitable for meal prep with leftovers being freezer friendly
The ingredients you need
- Bell peppers - Red, yellow (gold) and green are very important colours for the Rastafarian movement so in light on this, I recommend using this trio colour of bell peppers.
- Olive oil - used to sauté the onion and garlic
- Onion/garlic and scallion - these vegetables form the foundation of the actual recipe. sort of like the base ingredients.
- Pasta - fusilli or penne, gluten free options, I prefer to use chickpea fusilli for this recipe.
- Tomato - chopped, fresh tomato, just a medium sized one will do.
- Coconut milk - coconut milk is the perfect extremely substitute for full fat cream, yet it yields a thick and creamy plant based sauce.
- Jerk marinade/paste - I highly recommend using Walkerwoods (the spicy one) as it gives the dish a nice little kick.
- Turmeric - this add a yellow hue to the reipe which makes it look aesthetically pleasing.
- Thyme and black pepper - fresh sprigs of thyme and black pepper for garnish.
- Vegan cheese - any vegan cheese works, however my new favourite is Cathedral City Plant Based Cheese (its a UK brand) tastes amazing!
- Water - a small amount is needed to steam the bell peppers
Recipe preparation
Boiling the pasta - You will want to add the pasta of your choice to some water and bring to the boil for roughly 7 minutes. This will par cook the pasta to firm (al dente) stage.
Sauteing the base ingredients - add the coconut oil to the skillet. Then saute the garlic, onion and scallion just until they become soft and translucent.
Steaming the bell peppers - I like my peppers on the soft side so what I do is add the peppers to the skillet, stir and then add about ยผ cup of warm water to the pan, cover for 10 minutes so the veggies are steamed and softened.
Jerk marinade - this will yield your heat and flavour. I used 1 tablespoon which is a nice fiery heat, but not overpowering. If you don't care for spice, use 1 teaspoon instead. I also add the tomato during this stage as well.
The vegan sauce recipe - it's made with coconut milk but I promise you won't be able to taste the coconut flavour because of the additional ingredients. I pour the coconut milk into the pan with the par cooked pasta and turmeric.
The vegan cheese - the cheese should be the last thing to hit the pan and only needs a few minutes to melt and infused into the coconut milk.
Garnish - Prior to serving I like to loosen up the leaves of some fresh thyme and sprinkle all over the cooked dish along with some black pepper.
The steps
- Bring the pasta (add 1 tablespoon of pink salt) to a boil for about 5-7 minutes and saute the onions, garlic and scallions until soft.
- Add the bell peppers, water and steam for 10 minutes (covered).
- Add the tomatoes and jerk marinade to the skillet and stir.
- Stir in the pasta and the turmeric into the rest of the ingredients.
- Finally add the coconut milk and vegan cheese into the pan and stir.
Notes and tips
- Prep the bell peppers by slicing them, grating the vegan cheese (if necessary) and arranging the rest of the ingredients to bowl, ahead of time.
- I highly recommend using the brand Walkerwood jerk paste (hot) as it gives the dish as nice little kick to it.
- Feel free to use my homemade Jamaican Jerk Paste instead.
- I didn't add any salt to this recipe, however be sure to do a taste test and add accordingly.
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month.
- You may need to add a splash of water to rejuvenate the pasta/sauce.
- If you want your bell peppers crunchy, then omit the water, steaming the peppers and just skip that step and continue.
- I used chickpea fusilli but another other gluten free short pasta i.e. penne, rigatoni, farfalle etc..
- Feel free to add in any additional vegetables/meat substitutes i.e. mushrooms, jackfruit, smoked tofu, lentil/chickpeas, carrots, sugar snaps etc..
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Vegan Rasta Pasta (With Coconut Milk)
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free pasta heaped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 scallion sliced
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- ¼ cup of warm water (60ml)
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 1 tablespoon jerk marinade/paste vary depending on heat, see post
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 14 oz can of full fat coconut milk (400ml)
- 1 cup vegan cheese (112g)
For the garnish
- 3 sprigs of thyme stems removed
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper (1g)
Instructions
- Bring the pasta to a boil for 5-7 minutes (with 1 tablespoon of pink salt), then drain/rinse in a colander and set aside.
- Meanwhile, on medium heat, melt the coconut oil and saute the onion, garlic and scallion until soft.
- Add all of the bell peppers to the pan, pour in the ¼ cup of water, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
- Once steamed, increase the heat to medium and stir in the tomatoes and jerk marinade.
- Add the pasta, turmeric and pour the coconut milk into the skillet and combine all of the ingredients together.
- Allow the pasta to cook some more with the coconut milk for a further 3-4 minutes.
- Finally stir in the vegan cheese and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with thyme (loosen from stem to sprinkle) and black pepper.
- Serve accordingly.
Video
Notes
-
- Prep the bell peppers by slicing them, grating the vegan cheese (if necessary) and arranging the rest of the ingredients to bowl, ahead of time.
-
- I highly recommend using the brand Walkerwood jerk paste (hot) as it gives the dish as nice little kick to it.
-
- Feel free to use my homemade Jamaican Jerk Paste instead.
-
- I didn't add any salt to this recipe, however be sure to do a taste test and add accordingly.
-
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month.
-
- You may need to add a splash of water to rejuvenate the pasta/sauce.
-
- If you want your bell peppers crunchy, then omit the water, steaming the peppers and just skip that step and continue.
-
- I used chickpea fusilli but another other gluten free short pasta i.e. penne, rigatoni, farfalle etc..
-
- Feel free to add in any additional vegetables/meat substitutes i.e. mushrooms, jackfruit, smoked tofu, lentil/chickpeas, carrots, sugar snaps etc..
April Guscott says
Came out really nice. I'll use more jerk marinade next time.
Charla says
No problem April, appreciate the feedback.
Harriet Young says
This was so creamy I couldnโt believe it was vegan! Lovely warming touch from the turmeric too. Loved it, thank you!
Charla says
You are very welcome Harriet.
justine says
Great for husband who is dairy free, said it was incredible.
Charla says
Thanks
MacKenzie says
Coconut milk has the perfect amount of richness to the dish. We absolutely loved this pasta. It was so good we didnโt have any leftovers.
Charla says
Yay!, glad to hear it.
Carrie Robinson says
That sauce sounds absolutely amazing! Adding this to my dinner rotation soon. ๐
Charla says
Please do.
Mojee says
THE BEST JAMAICAN PASTA DISH EVER
Charla says
Thank you Mojee
Lesleen says
This recipe is amazing!!!! So delicious, the jerk seasoning really made this pasta dish a number 1! Thank you Charla!!!
Charla says
Aww you are most welcome Lesleen, glad you liked the recipe ๐
El says
Will the flavor change to much if i dont include the onions or garlic my friend is allergic to both.
Charla says
Hi El, the results will still be just as tasty if you need to omit the onion and garlic due to allergies. Enjoy and thank you commenting ๐
Jess says
Very Very Delicious. Added some seasoning salt for desired taste and this was perfect. Really enjoyed this dish and look forward to trying more. Thank you
Charla says
Thank you Jess. You are so welcome!
Lauri M says
First thing Iโve gotten him to eat and not complain since weโve gone gluten and dairy free! Are use gluten-free penne pasta and followed the recipe exactly and as usual with dismay as the plate approached him he had that look on his face. To my pleasant surprise after two bites I heard Yum! He had a stroke last February in 2021 and recovery has been difficult, we went gluten and dairy free to lessen the inflammation and expedite healing. Thank you so much, I finally got one for the win-win.
Charla says
Hi Lauri. Thank you so so much for reaching out to me. I'm sorry to hear about the health issues that your loved one is facing. On a more positive note, I am very happy to hear that he loves this pasta dish. Gluten free cooking definitely takes some time to get used to but it can still be just as flavoursome with the right adaptations.
Anthony says
This hits everytime!
Charla says
Thank you for your feedback Anthony!
Joanne Davies says
Absolutely delicious! My family loved this dish so much. I canโt wait to make it again. Thank you!
Charla says
Thank you so much Joanne for your wonderful feedback.
Kailee says
THIS IS THE BEST PASTA DISH! Will no doubt be a summer staple!
Charla says
Thank you Kailee
Mia says
What kind of vegan cheese do you use for this recipe?
Charla says
I use Violife vegan cheese
Lisa Ocasio says
Hi! What flavor of Violife did you use?
Charla says
The original one but I've changed to using Applewood Vegan Smokey Cheese since I first uploaded this recipe.
Kryssy says
I just made this and cannot believe how great this is! Best recipe for vegan Rasta Pasta Iโve found ( and I tried a few). For the cheese I used Good Planet Plant based Parmesan cheese.
Charla says
Thank you Kryssy. I'm going to check out that plant based parsmesan cheese.
Maureen says
Can i serve this cold?
Charla says
Yes you can!! Enjoy!!
Nisha says
Do you have a recipe for the jerk seasoning/marinade you used to make this?
Charla says
Hi Nisha. I haven't released my homemade version of the jerk marinade just yet. In terms of a brand that I recommend that you can purchase in the meanwhile timeWalkerswood Jamaican jerk seasoning is a good brand.
Nisha says
Thank you Charla, looking forward to making it this weekend!
Charla says
That;s great news Nisha. Enjoy! You are more than welcome to drop me a line if you need any further assistance.
Steffi says
What size can of coconut milk do you use? Here they cone in different sizes.
Charla says
400ml is the size I use which is a large can of coconut milk
Asha says
Canโt wait to try this recipe, and many others on your site! I just stumbled across it and wanted to let you know I love what youโre doing here- healthy food and Caribbean flavors. Great job!!
Charla says
Aww thank you for stopping by and showing some love Asha. I hope you enjoy these healthy Caribbean recipes!
Liz says
This looks so good! I love pasta, and LOVE spicy. Your recipes are always easy to follow and look delicious; this one though really has me jazzed to try it. Thank you for sharing!!!
Charla says
Thanks for the love Liz, I'm sure you will enjoy this rasta pasta dish!!
Liz says
UPDATE:
I just finished making and devouring this pasta. I don't normally cook, so it's kind of a big deal for me to both cook AND eat veggies without some kind of meltdown.
IT'S SO GOOD CHARLA. I love this so much, thank you for making it easy for me to make some super good vegan food that I cannot wait to share with my friends.
Many, many thanks!
Charla says
It's my favourite vegan recipe right now. I'm so glad you liked it because I tested the recipe several times over before publishing it.