This colorful Christmas pasta is perfect for the holidays! It’s tender pasta tossed in a homemade romesco sauce and served with broccoli, mini bocconcini, basil, and almonds. It’s a simple recipe that takes only 30 minutes to make.
This Christmas pasta is one of my favorite ways to keep dinner festive during the busy weeks leading up to the holidays. It’s quick, colorful, and full of flavor, with red, green, and white ingredients that instantly feel cheerful and seasonal without requiring much effort.
The star of the dish is a homemade romesco sauce , which is nutty, smoky, and packed with roasted red peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, and a touch of smoked paprika. Everything gets blended into a silky sauce that can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, I cook the pasta, sauté broccoli florets until tender, and toss everything together with the sauce.
I finish the pasta with mini bocconcini (they look like little snowballs), fresh basil, and chopped almonds for texture. It’s the kind of recipe I keep handy when the season feels hectic but I still want something that looks and tastes special—perfect for relaxed dinner parties, date nights, or even Christmas Eve.
What to serve with this Christmas pasta recipe
This vegetarian Christmas pasta recipe is a complete meal on its own, but I like to serve it with a side salad like my classic Caesar salad or even an arugula Caesar salad . And my dinner party-worthy garlic bread is always welcome at the table.
Christmas Pasta Recipe
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Ingredients
- ▢ 10 ounces pasta (see notes)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 1 head broccoli (cut into florets)
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ▢ 200 ml container mini bocconcini
- ▢ Basil and chopped almonds (to serve)
Romesco Sauce
- ▢ 1 cup whole almonds
- ▢ 7 ounces roasted red peppers
- ▢ 7 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes (drained)
- ▢ ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
- ▢ 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
- ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Start by making the romesco sauce. Put all the ingredients EXCEPT for the olive oil into your blender and blend until smooth. Then drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running. 1 cup whole almonds, 7 ounces roasted red peppers, 7 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes, ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water then drain and return the pasta to the pot. 10 ounces pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, make the broccoli. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 head broccoli, 2 cloves garlic
- Pour the romesco sauce over the cooked pasta and toss well. Use the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce – you’ll likely use most of it. Mix the broccoli and bocconcini (see notes) into the pasta and serve topped with basil and a few chopped almonds. 200 ml container mini bocconcini, Basil and chopped almonds
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Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .
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Christmas Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces pasta , see notes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 head broccoli , cut into florets
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 200 ml container mini bocconcini
- Basil and chopped almonds , to serve
Romesco Sauce
- 1 cup whole almonds
- 7 ounces roasted red peppers
- 7 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes , drained
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes , packed in oil
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Start by making the romesco sauce. Put all the ingredients EXCEPT for the olive oil into your blender and blend until smooth. Then drizzle in the olive oil with the blender running. 1 cup whole almonds, 7 ounces roasted red peppers, 7 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes, ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water then drain and return the pasta to the pot. 10 ounces pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, make the broccoli. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 head broccoli, 2 cloves garlic
- Pour the romesco sauce over the cooked pasta and toss well. Use the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce - you’ll likely use most of it. Mix the broccoli and bocconcini (see notes) into the pasta and serve topped with basil and a few chopped almonds. 200 ml container mini bocconcini, Basil and chopped almonds
