This Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe is a flavorful dish that makes the perfect weeknight dinner. With sliced bell peppers, onions and chicken in a creamy sauce, it’s a dish everyone will love!
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If you are the kind of person always looking in the fridge and asking “What can I make for Dinner?” You need to save this recipe.
It’s a simple Jamaican-Italian pasta dish with a delicious kick anyone will love and it is so, so easy to make.
All you need for this creamy rasta pasta recipe is peppers, onions, cream, parmesan cheese, chicken and some jerk seasoning. Mix it all with some cooked pasta and you’ve got a dish full of flavor that’s ready in about 30 minutes.
It’s a great option for busy weeknights or any time you want to enjoy a slightly unique creamy pasta recipe.
Recipe Origin
Jamaican Rasta Pasta, or Jerk Chicken Pasta, has a fairly simple origin. Chef Lorraine Washington was working at her restaurant, the Paradise Yard Restaurant, in Negril, Jamaica when she noticed some hungry construction workers. She threw together a bowl of fettuccine pasta topped with a bed of tomato sauce with ackee on the top.
The workers were so blown away by the flavor of the pasta dish, they begged her to put it on her menu.
They called it Rasta Pasta because the colors of the dish reminded them of the Rasta colors and the homemade fettuccine noodles Lorraine had used for the original dish resembled dreadlocks.
She told the story to the local newspaper in this 2012 article.
Since that day back in 1985 the dish has spread all over Jamaica with versions sold in many different restaurants.
This recipe is a little different than that original Rasta Pasta recipe, but it is rasta pasta nonetheless! This dish is made with jerk chicken seasoning for Jamaican flavor and bell peppers to make the Rasta colors.
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy Dish: This isn’t a one-pot meal but it still doesn’t require any special equipment or techniques to get it just right. And you’ll have dinner on the table in just under an hour.
- Customizable: This dish is a great way to use leftover chicken and any peppers you have on hand. Feel free to add spice or take it away to your liking.
- Taste of Jamaica: There are few dishes more Jamaican than Jerk Chicken but if you’re not comfortable with the spice of authentic jerk sauce, this is a great introduction. The cream and cheese help take away some of the spice but none of the flavor. This dish will help you feel like you’re getting a taste of the islands!
What Do I Need To Make This Recipe
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Cavatelli Pasta: Any pasta will do. If you need to use something else, I recommend something short like a penne. You can also use fettuccine noodles like in the original recipe if you’d prefer!
- Chicken Breasts: Cut into bite-sized pieces. You could also use thighs if that’s what you have
- Jerk Chicken Seasoning: You can get this in the spice aisle of your grocery store, but you can also make it yourself if necessary.
- Bell Peppers: Yellow peppers, red peppers and green peppers. My grocery store didn’t have green bell peppers the day of my photography for this recipe, but I highly recommend them for the rasta colors!
- Heavy Cream: You can also use half and half for a lighter option if preferred.
- Parmesan Cheese: The texture will be slightly better if you grate the cheese yourself, but this is one of those dishes that is forgiving if you use pre-grated cheese.
Tools
- Baking Dish: Any size that will fit your chicken
- Large Pot
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Bake the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the chicken in jerk seasoning.
Grease a baking dish, then add the jerk-seasoned chicken. Cut the butter up into small pieces and drop it amongst the chicken pieces.
Bake the chicken for about 15-20 minutes until it is cooked through (reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
Step Two: Cook the Pasta
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt.
Then add the pasta into the water. Cook according to the package instructions until al-dente.
Once done, drain the pasta. Reserve some of the pasta water in case you need to thicken your sauce.
Step Three: Make the Sauce
While the chicken and pasta are cooking, make the sauce. Add olive oil to a large pan or large skillet along with the sliced yellow, red and green bell peppers, diced red onion, and minced garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
Then add the green onions for another minute until wilted.
Add the chicken stock and heavy cream into the pan with the peppers and onions and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the remaining jerk chicken seasoning as well as the parmesan cheese and stir until a thick sauce is formed. Add more salt or jerk chicken seasoning to taste.
Add the sauce and cooked chicken into the cooked pasta pot. Garnish with green onions and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- This delicious pasta recipe is very customizable. Feel free to remove the chicken and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option. You could also make it with shrimp instead of chicken.
- To make this dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk or crushed tomatoes in place of the cream and cook your chicken without the butter. You can make this a vegan rasta pasta recipe by substituting the dairy and removing the chicken.
- This is also a great dish for using leftover chicken or even turkey. If you already have leftover chicken (like leftover rotisserie), simply add the jerk seasoning to it and throw it in at the end to warm it up.
FAQs
You can use any Jamaican jerk seasoning whether it is dry, a jerk marinade, or you can even create your own jerk sauce. I recommend the dry spices for this recipe, but you can use whatever you have on hand! You can also add some extra spice by adding more cayenne pepper.
Jamaican Cuisine is known for using a lot of scotch bonnet peppers which have a unique flavor and a lot of spice but you can usually find a suitable spice blend at your local grocery store.
Feel free to use any type of pasta you prefer. This dish was originally created using homemade fettuccine, but has since been made with mostly short pasta like penne pasta, rigatoni or bucatini. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand, but I feel like the shorter noodles make it easier to scoop up all the chicken and peppers along with the noodles.
Yes! You can keep rasta pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. To reheat, add a bit of cream or chicken stock to add some liquid back to your sauce.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe because the cream sauce will not freeze well and you may lose some texture in your peppers.
Did you like this Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Instant Pot Pasta with Palomino Sauce
- Macaroni Pie from Barbados
- Haitian Spaghetti
- How Long Do You Boil Tortellini
Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- 8×8 Glass Dish
- Pot(s)
- Oven Mitt
- Food Thermometer
- Pan(s)
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken Breasts, cubed into bite-sized pieces (about 2 breasts)
- 3 tbsp Jerk Chicken Seasoning, divided
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb Cavatelli Pasta, or any other pasta you’d like. I’d recommend something short like a penne
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- ½ red onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- ¼ cup green onions, diced
- 1 ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Bake the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Toss 2 lbs chicken in 3 tbsp jerk seasoning.
- Grease a baking dish, then add the jerk-seasoned chicken. Cut 2 tbsp butter up into small pieces and drop it amongst the chicken pieces.
- Bake the chicken for about 15-20 minutes until it is cooked through (reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
Cook the Pasta
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt.
- Then add 1 lb pasta into the water. Cook according to the package directions until al-dente.
- Once done, drain the pasta. Reserve some of the pasta water in case you need to thicken your sauce.
Make the Sauce
- While the chicken and pasta are cooking, make the sauce. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large pan along with the 3 sliced bell peppers, diced ½ red onion, and 3 tbsp minced garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
- Then add the ¼ cup green onions for another minute until wilted.
- Add 1 ¼ cup chicken stock and 1 ¼ cup heavy cream into the pan with the peppers and onions and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the remaining jerk chicken seasoning as well as the 1 ½ cups parmesan cheese and stir until a thick sauce is formed. Add more salt or jerk chicken seasoning to taste.
- Add the sauce and cooked chicken into the cooked pasta pot. Garnish with green onions and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cavatelli Pasta: Any pasta will do. If you need to use something else, I recommend something short like a penne. You can also use fettuccine noodles like in the original recipe if you’d prefer!
- Chicken Breasts: Cut into bite-sized pieces. You could also use thighs if that’s what you have
- Jerk Chicken Seasoning: You can get this in the spice aisle of your grocery store, but you can also make it yourself if necessary.
- Bell Peppers: Yellow peppers, red peppers and green peppers. My grocery store didn’t have green bell peppers the day of my photography for this recipe, but I highly recommend them for the rasta colors!
- Heavy Cream: You can also use half and half for a lighter option if preferred.
- Parmesan Cheese: The texture will be slightly better if you grate the cheese yourself, but this is one of those dishes that is forgiving if you use pre-grated cheese.
- This delicious pasta recipe is very customizable. Feel free to remove the chicken and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option. You could also make it with shrimp instead of chicken.
- To make this dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk or crushed tomatoes in place of the cream and cook your chicken without the butter. You can make this a vegan rasta pasta recipe by substituting the dairy and removing the chicken.
- This is also a great dish for using leftover chicken or even turkey. If you already have leftover chicken (like leftover rotisserie), simply add the jerk seasoning to it and throw it in at the end to warm it up.
Wilma Herrero says
Hi what is jerk seasoning I can’t find it here in Australia
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
It is a Jamaican spice blend. You can make your own using these instructions: https://www.orchidsandsweettea.com/homemade-jerk-dry-rub-seasoning/