Spaghetti with Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes, and Leek (My Son’s Favorite)
A quick "vitamin bomb" that even kids love.
This meal is brilliant in its simplicity. It is a light vegetarian dinner that is incredibly juicy thanks to the pasta water technique. The roasted pepper adds sweetness, the tomatoes add acidity, and the leek brings a gentle creaminess. If you have the peppers prepared in advance, cooking takes only 15 minutes.
Category: Fish & Light Meals
Prep time: 15 min (+ preparing the peppers)
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 200 g Spaghetti (quality semolina pasta)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 Red bell pepper (blocky type) – charred, peeled, and chopped into small cubes (see instructions)
- 1 handful Leek – sliced into rounds
- 7 pcs Cherry tomatoes – sliced into rounds (approx. 3–4 slices per tomato)
- 2 tbsp Grated Parmesan-type cheese (Grana Padano, Parmigiano)
- Garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper, salt
Equipment:
- Small frying pan (for dry roasting the pepper)
- Pot with a lid for boiling spaghetti
- Large deep pan (for the sauce and mixing)
- Pasta ladle (with teeth and a hole in the middle)
Instructions:
1) Prepare the pepper (do this ahead): This is the secret trick for a sweet taste. Cut the pepper into large pieces and roast it on a dry pan over high heat, skin-side down. Don't be afraid—the skin must have black blisters. Immediately put the hot pepper into a box (or bag), close it, and let it "sweat" for 10 minutes. Then the skin will peel off easily. Chop the peeled pepper into small cubes.
2) Water for pasta: Put water for spaghetti to boil (cover the pot with a lid to make it faster), salt it well, and add the pasta. Cook it for one minute less than the package says—it will finish cooking in the pan. Do not pour away the pasta water! We will need it.
3) Base of the sauce: While the spaghetti is boiling (you have about 8 minutes), melt the butter in the large pan and sauté the leek.
- My version for kids: I let the leek soften completely.
- Adult version: Once the leek smells good and is glossy, I put it aside on a plate (to keep it crunchy and colorful) and put it back at the very end.
4) Vegetables: Add the prepared chopped pepper and tomato slices to the butter (and leek). Sauté, season with black pepper, and sprinkle with garlic powder.
5) Simmering: Now the magic starts. Pour a ladle of hot pasta water into the pan with vegetables. The veggies must be underwater. Let it bubble and keep adding water little by little while the spaghetti cooks. Taste the sauce just before the end—it must be slightly salty, the pasta will absorb the salt.
6) Final step: Once the spaghetti is "al dente", do not drain it! Use the pasta ladle to move it directly from the pot into the large pan with sauce (if you put the leek aside, add it back now). Mix it, cover with a lid (use the one from the spaghetti pot, it doesn't have to fit perfectly), and remove from heat.
7) Resting: Let it rest under the lid for 2–3 minutes. Then uncover, mix, and check the bottom of the pan. If it is dry, add a little pasta water. The spaghetti must be coated in sauce, and there should be about 3 tablespoons of liquid at the bottom. Repeat this (mix – check – add water) even 3 times, until the pasta stops drinking the liquid.
8) Serving: Serve immediately while hot, sprinkled with grated cheese.
