One-Pan Roasted Tomato Pepper Pasta

This one-pan dinner starts with whole tomatoes, red peppers, onions, and garlic roasted until blistered and sweet. After a quick smash, dry shell pasta goes straight into the pan with boiling water and simmers until tender, soaking up all that concentrated flavor.

A generous handful of shredded mozzarella melts into a creamy, glossy sauce. It's a complete, satisfying meal with minimal cleanup.

Roasting tomatoes and peppers transforms them from raw and acidic into something deeply sweet and savory. The high heat caramelizes their natural sugars and chars the skins, adding a subtle smokiness.

Then, instead of boiling pasta separately, dry shells cook directly in the sauce, absorbing every drop of flavor as they soften. The result is a thick, clingy sauce that coats each shell perfectly, finished with melty mozzarella for a creamy, comforting dinner.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Roasting whole tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic concentrates their flavors and draws out moisture. The dry heat of the oven caramelizes the sugars, creating a sauce that tastes like it simmered for hours.

Smashing the vegetables right in the pan releases their sweet juices, which then become the cooking liquid for the pasta. This method builds layers of flavor with almost no effort.

Cooking dry pasta directly in the sauce means the starch from the pasta thickens the sauce naturally as it simmers. The pasta absorbs the seasoned liquid rather than being boiled in plain water and then tossed with sauce.

This creates a cohesive dish where every bite is infused with the roasted vegetable flavor. The mozzarella melts into the hot pasta, adding richness and a pleasant stretch.

Notes and substitutions

Use ripe, meaty plum tomatoes for the best texture and sweetness. If they're not in season, cherry tomatoes or Roma tomatoes work well. Red peppers should be firm and glossy; any color pepper works, but red is the sweetest. The onion adds a mild savory base, and the garlic becomes mellow and nutty after roasting.

A large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven is essential for this recipe, as it goes from the oven to the stovetop. A potato masher is the easiest tool for smashing the vegetables, but a fork or the back of a spoon also works. For the pasta, conchiglie shells are ideal because their shape holds the sauce, but any short pasta like rigatoni or penne will work.

• plum tomatoes: Roma tomatoes or any ripe, meaty tomato variety; cherry tomatoes also work but may need less roasting time.
• conchiglie pasta: Other short shapes like rigatoni, penne, or farfalle; adjust simmering time to package instructions.
• mozzarella: Provolone, fontina, or a mild white cheddar for a different melty finish.
• dried oregano: Fresh oregano (about 1 tablespoon chopped) or 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.

Equipment

• Large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven
• Baking sheet (if needed)
• Potato masher
• Wooden spoon
• Liquid measuring cup
• Chef's knife and cutting board