1-Pot Rasta Pasta Recipe

Rasta pasta is a famous Jamaican pasta dish that is spicy, creamy, and often made all in 1 pot. The recipe was born in Jamaica from the mind of Chef Lorraine Washington, starting out as a hearty fettuccine and tomato sauce dish topped with nutty-sweet ackee. The fettuccine resembling dreadlocks, and the combination of colors reflecting the Jamaican flag, the pasta was aptly named for its Rastafarian qualities. The pasta was added to Chef Washington's menu for years, and also made its way west, where it evolved into a pseudo-alfredo dish with jerk flavoring. The idea remained the same — red, yellow, and green elements, often bell peppers, over pasta with traditional Jamaican flavoring. Like Chef Washington's version, it's easy to throw it together for a hearty meal (via Jamaica Gleaner).

In this recipe shared by developer Michelle McGlinn, this rasta pasta is made with jerk-marinated chicken, bell peppers, heavy cream, and rotini pasta. The jerk marinade is made from scratch with a variety of spices, a few super-hot peppers, and a squeeze of orange and lime juice. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner, and sure to please a hungry crowd, especially one that loves a little heat. 

Don't let the ingredient list scare you — it's mostly common spices, and they can all be substituted for a store-bought Jamaican jerk seasoning, if you prefer it. To make your own, you'll need cumin, paprika, thyme, onion powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ground clove, salt, and pepper. For the whole marinade, you'll also need lime juice, orange juice (fresh is best), olive oil, garlic, and Scotch bonnet peppers. If Scotch bonnet peppers aren't available near you, swap for their close cousin, habanero. 

Use cubed breast or thigh chicken meat, or swap for shrimp. For the rest of the dish, you'll just need red, yellow, green, or orange bell peppers, butter, broth or water, rotini (or otherwise medium-sized pasta), heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan.

Whisk together the oil, citrus juices, minced garlic, and sliced Scotch bonnets. Add all the spices, including salt and pepper to taste, combine well, then add the cubed chicken, and stir until fully coated. You can leave the chicken directly in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or transfer to a Ziploc bag — just make sure the chicken is fully coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours — try throwing this together before work, so it can be ready when you come home. Try the same marinade with shrimp instead, but don't marinate for any longer than 30 minutes.

Heat up a deep skillet over medium. You'll want something pretty deep, so if you don't have anything that can hold all the pasta, use a Dutch oven instead. Transfer the chicken directly from the marinade into the hot skillet, cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. You won't need to heat any oil for this, since the chicken is already coated with it from the marinade. Once you remove the chicken from the skillet, melt some butter to cook the peppers in.

Before boiling the pasta, soften the sliced peppers by sautéeing them in the butter. Once the peppers are soft, pour in the broth, and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the broth to a boil, then add in the pasta, and cook for 9 to 10 minutes. The rotini will expand while it cooks, and absorb all that extra liquid. Anything leftover will turn into the sauce.

Stir the heavy cream into the pot, and bring it to a simmer. Add the cream cheese into the mix, then sprinkle in the Parmesan for extra cheesy flavor. 

Stir the cooked chicken back into the pot, infusing the creamy sauce with the Jamaican seasoning. Serve immediately as-is, or top with green onions and parsley. This dish has it all, but to make it a full meal, serve it alongside a crisp green salad, steamed carrots, or even a big pot of collard greens.

Store any leftover rasta pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, microwave or gently reheat on the stove, adding heavy cream, if needed.