It’s warm, just slightly spicy, and can be made in only 30 minutes. Be prepared to be amazed by the delicious flavors and the creamy texture of this chicken jerk pasta!
What are the Origins of Rasta Pasta
Another name for jerk noodles is Rasta pasta. Chef Lorraine remembers making fettuccine for construction workers and then adding red sauce and then some ackee, Jamaica’s national berry. The red, green, and yellow colors hint at Rasta colors, which led one carpenter to label it”Rasta pasta. “Rasta pasta!”
You’re likely to come upon it on the menu at a Caribbean restaurant, with different variations on the pasta options or protein as well as vegetables. The footprint is a Jamaican restaurant located in Brooklyn, New York, which made this dish a hit with the local population.
What is Rasta Pasta?

If you’ve never been familiar with Rasta Pasta, it’s a wonderful blend of Italian and Jamaican food styles. Penne pasta cooked in a creamy sauce is served with vibrant bell peppers and shrimp marinated along with Caribbean seasonings. Sauteed to highlight the flavorful and spicy that makes this dish irresistible to miss. It takes only 30 minutes to cook and can be used in a variety of ways. It’s easy and delicious!
What You’ll Be Needing
- Penne pasta
- Shrimp peeled, deveined, and peeled
- Jerk seasoning adds tons of flavor. It can be made at home or purchased from a store.
- Cayenne pepper (optional)adds a kick to the dish and a little extra spice.
- Pepper and salt (to taste)
- Avocado oil
- Garlic cloves add an amazing pungent flavor to the dish
- Red bell pepper – for color and flavor
- Orange bell pepper – more fresh green vegetables to brighten your life and taste
- Pasta water
- The pasta is made with heavy cream, which makes it smooth and creamy
- Parmesan cheese (grated)
- (optional) Green onion (optional)
RASTA PASTA RECIPE
What exactly is Rasta Pasta Made of? The Rasta Pasta is a Jamaican-inspired dish that is prepared by combining jerk seasoning, peppers, and pasta cooked with a thick, creamy.
The flavors of the jerk seasoning give the pasta dish a spicy and sweet taste. The combination of bell peppers and pasta and chicken sliced, tossed in an alfredo sauce that is creamy and delicious sauce is an easy and delicious recipe.
Ingredients for RASTA Pasta

The pasta is ready quickly, so make sure you prepare everything for dinner when it’s ready to be cooked.
Pasta – we made use of Penne pasta, but you could make any other small pasta.
Chicken-skinless and boneless chicken breasts are excellent. (Leftover air Fryer Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken are excellent alternative options.)
Jerk seasoning – we use THIS store-bought jerk spice.
Bell peppers – mix the peppers using the ingredients you have in your pantry. Bell peppers are green and yellow peppers, as well as red or orange peppers.
Garlic – fresh minced garlic cloves to enhance flavor, and you can use them for powder!
Butter- make sure that it is not salted.
Broth- Chicken broth, vegetable, or chicken broth could be utilized.
Heavy cream adds an incredible creamy flavor to the sauce.
Parmesan cheese – freshly grated parmesan cheese or pre-grated parmesan cheese can be used in this recipe.
How to Make Jamaican Creamy Rasta Pasta
Begin by boiling the pasta. While it is boiling, create your sauce creamy by sautéing some garlic cloves, and then add the heavy seasoning cream, veggie stock, and white wine for cooking.
After that, mix in the chopped peppers, then finish your dish off with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Stir into the pasta, and voila.
Creamy Jamaican Rasta Pasta

Ingredients To Make Rich Jamaican Rasta Pasta
This is a simple pasta recipe for rasta. However, it has two components that are the creamy sauce as well as the pasta itself.
CREAMY SAUCE INGREDIENTS
Here’s everything you will need to prepare this quick creamy pasta dish recipe for rasta pasta:
Olive oil. It is also possible to use Grapeseed oil and coconut oil.
Pasta. I prefer keeping things simple with this rasta pasta making use of the penne. But you can also choose your preferred portions of pasta, such as rigatoni, linguine, pappardelle, and so on.
Jerk seasoning. It is possible to purchase a store-bought recipe or make your own mix using the powder of garlic, onion, black pepper, dried thyme, brown sugar, ground allspice, dried parsley, smoked paprika, red chili flakes and cinnamon, nutmeg cloves, cumin.
Scallions. This is a garnish that can be added at any time.
Garlic. I prefer fresh, but you can use 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic.
Heavy cream. I suggest organic always! If you want to avoid dairy, make sure you substitute with coconut milk that’s full-fat or cream.
White wine. Choose a dry white wine that you enjoy the flavor of. You could also leave this out and use a different vegetable stock.
Bell peppers. I prefer miniature sweet peppers whenever I can. However, you can also use regular bell peppers (all shades) and cut them into medium-thin pieces.
Parmesan cheese. It is also possible to utilize pecorino romano and Mild Cheddar. This will add a touch of intensity to your cheese sauce. If you like a stronger cheddar flavor, you can use sharp Cheddar. For a more subtle flavor, try shreds of Swiss cheese.
Vegetable Stock helps give an extra taste and creaminess. Buy low-sodium products from the store or create your own.
What kind of chicken should I use?
I typically use air fryers for cooking leftover chicken rotisserie in Rasta Pasta as well as other dishes. It’s very easy, and the chicken taste amazing. If I don’t have Rotisserie chickens, I make do with the raw breast of a chicken which can be cut into pieces, then shallow fry in jerk seasoning with just a bit of oil.
To make this rasta-pasta recipe dairy-free, you can eliminate the heavy cream and instead use coconut milk that is full-fat or crushed tomatoes.
Recipe Variations Variations
There are a variety of versions of rasta pasta there. Here are some of them:
- With chicken
- Without chicken
- A vegan version
- Chicken served on the side (not tossing in the same way as pasta)
- For grilled or fried shrimp, serve it with
Notes on recipes and other suggestions
Fresh penne was used to make the Rasta pasta recipe. However, you can make this recipe with any kind of pasta that you prefer, like fusilli, rigatoni, or farfalle.
This recipe for jerk pasta is great with leftover chicken leftovers. If you are using cooked chicken, leave out the butter and begin by making the peppers cook in olive oil.
If you are looking to make dairy-free Rasta pasta, it is possible to substitute the double cream by using coconut milk.
To make it vegan, you can substitute your chicken for a non-vegetarian one or substitute mushrooms for it.
You could also substitute the chicken for prawns, which are delicious when paired with the spice mix of a jerk.
This is also a fantastic recipe to make using leftover turkey leftovers. If you’re unsure of what to do with your leftover turkey carcasses from Christmas or Thanksgiving, Rasta pasta is a fantastic idea.
If you enjoyed this delicious Rasta pasta, you might be interested in my other pasta recipes that are creamy:
- Pasta alla Boscaiola (Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta)
- Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Pasta to Papalina (Creamy Ham as well as Peas Pasta)
- Creamy Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Walnuts
- Pasta in the Cenere (Gorgonzola and Black Olive Pasta)
- Pasta alla Norcina