Spinach Pasta with Red Peppers

This spinach pasta with red peppers is bold, garlicky, and surprisingly light. Ten cloves of pressed garlic get sautéed with capers, basil, and rosemary, then sliced sweet red peppers simmer in water until just slightly softened but still crunchy. The liquid becomes the sauce.

There’s no oil, no cream, no cheese in this dish. The flavored cooking liquid does all the work. When you toss the slightly underdone spinach fettuccine into the peppers and liquid over low heat, the starchy noodles absorb the garlicky, herby broth and the sauce clings to every strand. It’s a technique borrowed from Italian aglio e olio-style cooking, but even lighter.

The capers and their brine add a briny, salty punch that balances the sweetness of the red peppers. Lemon juice at the end ties everything together with a bright acidic note.

Keep the peppers slightly crunchy. Overcooking them turns them limp and soft, and you lose the textural contrast against the tender noodles.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the pasta just slightly underdone before draining. It finishes cooking in the pepper liquid and absorbs the sauce better.
• Don’t drain too much liquid from the pepper mixture. You need enough to coat and cook the pasta when you toss them together.
• Ten cloves of garlic sounds like a lot, but sautéing mellows them. Raw garlic is sharp; cooked garlic is sweet and nutty.
• Add the caper liquid along with the capers. It’s essentially free flavor and saltiness.

Variations

• Add protein: Toss in white beans or chickpeas for a heartier, protein-rich meal.
• Olive oil finish: Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil after plating if you want a richer version.
• Chili flake heat: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the garlic sauté for a spicy kick.