Rasta Pasta
Rasta Pasta has emerged as a favorite dish of mine among West Indian cuisine. With it quickly becoming such a popular dish, it has of course been “replicated” and served as inspiration for many a dish, not only in many Jamaican restaurants but also for chefs and food creators on social media. I do not know which restaurant or person originated this dish, but I certainly am glad they did! A popular misconception for people who attempt this dish is that it is simply an alfredo sauce with jerk seasoning added. The true flavors of this dish are a lot more complex and deep than that. It is a Caribbean dish, and is packed with Caribbean flavors such as coconut, pimento (AKA allspice), and heat from peppers.
This is my attempt at Rasta Pasta. I love this recipe so much. It is a go-to for me if I have to cook for house guests. Pasta is always a popular food option, because you can feed a lot of people and its relatively quick and easy to make. This dish is definitely easy to make, yet still packs a punch as if you were at the stove all day. The Parma Rosa packet is integral to developing the flavor AND texture of the sauce. Since it is a processed sauce packet, it also dramatically cuts down cooking time compared to if you made your sauce completely from scratch. This is a vegetarian dish that can also be made vegan if you substitute vegan cheeses.
Yield: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Penne Pasta | 16 oz box
Coconut milk | 14 oz can
Parma Rosa | 1 packet
Jerk Marinade | 2 tbsp
Jerk Seasoning | 2 tsp
Mozzarella Cheese | 4 oz
Cheddar Cheese | 4 oz
Salt | 2 tbsp
Green Bell Pepper | 1, cut into thin
strips
Red Bell Pepper | 1, cut into thin
strips
Yellow Onion | 1, sliced into thin
pieces
Garlic Cloves | 4-5 cloves, minced
Olive Oil | 2 tbsp, divided
Directions
– In a large pot, heat water to boiling. Add salt and 1 tbsp oil to boiling pasta water. Add in penne and cook according to package directions.
– Strain cooked pasta. In the same pot, heat up 1 tbsp oil. When hot, add peppers, onion, and garlic. Season vegetables with jerk seasoning. Cook vegetables until slightly soft, about 5-7 minutes.
– Remove vegetables from pot. Add in coconut milk and jerk marinade. Whisk together. Let milk get hot, but not boiling. When milk is hot, add in Parma Rosa packet. Whisk together until all the powder is dissolved into the milk. Let cook 1 minute.
– Add in cheeses fistfuls at a time. Whisk mixture together as you are adding cheese, to incorporate it smoothly as it melts. After all cheese is added, let mixture cook for 3-5 minutes; whisk constantly, ensuring all cheese is melted and well incorporated into mixture.
– Add noodles and vegetables to sauce in pot. Mix well, fully coating noodles and vegetables in sauce. Let heat through.
– Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
– Serve with your protein of choice, marinated and seasoned with jerk seasonings.
– Feel free to use different types of cheeses. Try pepper jack for a spicy kick, or all mozzarella cheese for a milder pasta.
– The type of jerk marinade you use will determine the spice level of your pasta. Hot jerk marinade is VERY hot. If you want more control over spice level, use mild jerk marinade, and add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes until desired spice level is reached.