Delicious Easy Caribbean Vegan Food Recipes

Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe : A Delicious Fusion Dish

Creamy, flavourful vegan Jamaican pasta recipe
Rasta Pasta pinit View Gallery 2 photos

Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe: A Delicious Fusion Dish that’s creamy and colourful is a well requested crowd favourite. It’s a simple dish made only more delicious with the coconut milk and spicy balance of the jerk marinade. Keep reading to find out how make this delicious dish.

WHAT IS RASTA PASTA?

Rasta is short for Rastafarian of course which is one of the main religions practiced in Jamaica. Traditional Rasta Pasta get’s its name from the beautiful colours of the bell peppers (red, green, yellow, orange). Red, Green and Yellow (Gold) are traditional colours representing Rastafarian culture and are of Pan-African origins. Red, Black and Green are the other set of Pan-African colours popularized by Marcus Garvey. You will notice many African and Caribbean (including Jamaica) countries with a combination of these colours.

The red represents the blood of black martyrs that were shed during their struggle for liberation, equal rights, and justice. Yellow (Gold) represents the wealth of the homeland, Africa. And of course the green represents the beauty and vegetation of the African continent.

So with that historical context in mind you want to make your vegan Jerk Rasta Pasta dish as colourful as possible with an assortment of bell peppers of different colours. Sadly when I was putting together the images for this post I was out of orange peppers but of course use what you have.

JERK SEASONING/MARINADE

In terms of the jerk seasoning or jerk marinade you can use any brand you like or make your own if you are brave enough. I have my own preferred brand (send a DM if you want to know or check my Instagram feed you will be sure to spot my favourite Jamaican brand of marinade.

A good jerk marinade is one that has a good balance of flavour and spice. There are some brands that go heavy on the spice and as much I love spice it needs to have good flavour to balance out the taste. The best jerk seasoning/marinade include the following ingredients: allspice, scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, nutmeg, scallion, garlic, etc.

SEA MOSS/IRISH MOSS

To add extra nutrition to this recipe I certainly recommend adding some sea moss. Sea moss serves two purposes: extra micro-nutrients and as a thickening agent. In case you weren’t aware it is commonly understood that our bodies are made up of 102 minerals. Sea moss is believed to contain 92 of those minerals – AMAZING RIGHT.

SEA MOSS BENEFITS

Some of those minerals are Calcium, Folate, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Potassium, Selenium and various minerals. If you are not familiar sea moss is a type of algae which grows on the rocky parts the Atlantic coast, North America and the Caribbean. You may see it called by other names such as Irish moss, Chondrus Crispus or Carrageen moss (Irish carraigín, “little rock”). Just be sure you are buying your sea moss from a reputable source to avoid counterfeit. If you just want to thicken the creamy sauce you can skip the sea moss and just use traditional cornstarch mixed with a little bit of cold water.

WHAT PASTA TO USE?

You can certainly use any preferred type of pasta for this recipe; however penne is the recommended variety. Substitute for gluten free pasta if desired for dietary reasons.

WHAT TO ADD TO YOUR JAMAICAN RASTA PASTA RECIPE

Feel free to add additional items to your rasta pasta i.e. mushrooms, tofu, broccoli, etc. Obviously this is a vegan blog so I do take issue when I see people do thinks like shrimp rasta pasta, oxtail rasta pasta, jerk chicken and the likes to a “rasta” dish. But to each his/her own I guess – lol!

Jamaican Rasta Pasta Recipe : A Delicious Fusion Dish

A creamy, flavourful vegan Jamaican pasta recipe great for dinner or lunch any day of the week.

Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 20 min Total Time 30 mins Difficulty: Beginner Servings: 4 Calories: 250 kcal Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

Instructions

Pasta

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions

Jerk Pasta Sauce

  1. Sauté onions, garlic, scallion and thyme⁣

  2. Add tomatoes, bell peppers⁣

  3. Cook for 5-7 minutes

  4. Add jerk seasoning per your liking⁣ and tolerance level (add a little at a time and taste)

  5. Add coconut milk and stir to mix in⁣

  6. Add black pepper, salt, garlic powder, other seasoning and stir⁣

  7. To thicken add sea moss and/or cornstarch⁣ (mix with a little cold water)

    Rasta Pasta
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired

  9. Add cooked penne and toss⁣ to coat

  10. Serve and Enjoy 🙏❤️⁣

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 250kcal

Note

Adjust the jerk seasoning per your personal preference. I recommend adding a little bit at a time, tasting and adjust accordingly.

Keywords: Caribbean, Food, Jerk, Pasta, Rasta, Spicy, Vegan

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand All:
Is rasta pasta a Jamaican dish

Yes, for sure Rasta Pasta is a dish that originated from Jamaica and has garnered interest internationally. It is a colorful pasta dish made with a variety of bell peppers, creamy sauce, and various Caribbean seasonings i.e. jerk seasoning. The origin of the name “Rasta” is in reference to “Rastafarianism”. This is the powerful social movement start in Jamaica around the 1930s.

Rasta Pasta is usually served as a vegetarian or vegan dish, as most Rastafarians do not eat shellfish or meat (varies among followers).  Many non-vegans add a protein to round out the meal like chicken and shrimps (A no-no for vegans).

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Mac

A Jamaican Food Blogger

Hi, I'm Mac, a part-time food blogger that has a passion for sharing healthy and delicious Caribbean and afro-fusion vegan meals and recipes.