Rasta Pasta Without The Rasta!

Oct 19, 20193 min read

Updated: Mar 24, 2020

Give your weekly dinner a Caribbean twist with this simple, fun and easy quick Rasta Pasta Without the Rasta meal that'll have everyone in your family saying "AYE MON!" at the your dinner table! You wont have to travel all the way to Jamaica to try this healthy version of Rasta Pasta with Spinach.

How to Make this Rasta Pasta Without the Rasta in just

under 30 mins.

During the week I kind of know and not know what Im going to make for dinner, usually of course theres always a Meat, a Veggie & a Carb. but sometimes Im so busy that I need a quick and easy meal to throw together that can either be paired with a meat & another vegetable or that can be made and ate by itself. This Version of Rasta Pasta is it!!

My husband and I are seriously thinking about going to Jamaica and I was kind of craving the Caribbean flavors of Jamaican food and I did not want to wait for a Door Dash or GrubHub delivery- we wanted to eat! LOL!! I knew I had just picked up some items from Target earlier in the day so I knew I was going to make a pasta dish like this Rasta Pasta. So the first thing I did was of course Google Rasta Pasta just to kind of get a sense of what was in it and what I needed to get or do, But low and behold this Chick had everything already in her kitchen. (Why Did I just refer to myself in the 3rd person?! LOL).

Believe me when I thought about making this Rasta Pasta I'm not going to lie I was a bit intimidated because Im not Caribbean nor do I like Spicy food and third- I didn't know if I could make it taste remotely similar to any that I had in the past-a so....(LOL!) Now I would say Im a great cook and FYI I don't use like measurements. I cook to taste really. And it always comes out AMAZING!

A LITTLE PAT ON THE BACK NEVER HURT NO BODY!!

So Let's get into cooking this thang, MON!!"

You also need a few seasonings & items that you will need to really recreate the Flavors and taste of the Caribbean. I used:

@Watkins.1868 seasoning pictured below. Photo credit @Lifestylediyw

Olive Oil

Green Pepper

Red Pepper

Onion

Parsley

Adobo

Paprika

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Minced Garlic

Cajun Seasoning

the only thing that doesn't make it a true Rasta Pasta is because I didn't really use the Jerk Seasoning or red peppers. But Improvising never hurt no one.

Now remember I said, I don't use measurements so lets see if this recipe makes sense. lol ! Because when You know how to cook, well You just know. But I promise this recipe is simple that anyone can make this.

Boil Your Penne Noodles in Salted Water for about 10 mins- then drain and set aside (Do +Not Over cook them as they will soften throughout the process.)
Slice your green & red peppers and chop your onions and toss in a pan with some olive oil and cook until tender - 5 mins (season with a little minced garlic/TB of Adobo)- DO NOT DRAIN.
ADD your half can of coconut milk to peppers and onions/Allow to simmer
ADD your penne noodles and fold over into the coconut milk and peppers (season to taste with Adobo, O/G Powder, crushed red pepper flakes, Paprika)
Smother the noodles with the Alfredo Sauce/simmer on low eat
Pull Apart your Mozzarella Cheese in Chunks and place in the pan and add the rest of the coconut milk.
Season to taste again to your preference adding Cajun Seasoning & Red Pepper Flakes
Continue to mix on a low to medium flame for 5 mins
Sprinkle in Spinach and fold/mix allowing spinach to get soft but still crunchy.
Add Some Rice & Peas and some Lemon Pepper chicken thighs and You got yourself a meal MON!