Creamy Ajvar Macaroni Pasta

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This Creamy Ajvar Pasta is a beautifully rich orange colour and full of flavour.  This Dairy-free, Vegan Pasta Recipe is a refreshing alternative to tomato-based pasta sauce dishes and is made primarily from Capsicums / Red Bell Peppers.

CREAMY AJVAR PASTA

Get ready to fall in love with this Creamy Vegan Pasta recipe.   Ajvar (pronounced AYE-var) is a bright and robust red pepper relish that originates from the Balkans region of southeastern Europe.

Ajvar is super easy to whip up, naturally Vegan and tastes so creamy using only 8 simple ingredients. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge or you can also buy the store-bought versions and mix it with your favourite vegan pasta.

WHAT IS AJVAR?

Ajvar is a pepper-based condiment made principally from red bell peppers and oil. Ajvar is used in the Balkans in Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian, and to a small degree the Slovenian cuisine.

Ajvar makes a tasty alternative to tomato sauce-based recipes.  You can even use it as a dip for veggies and chips, in salad wraps or in pasta dishes such as lasagna.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU USE AJVAR FOR?

You can use Ajvar as a dip, a sauce, a condiment or as a spread! Here are just a few ways you can use ajvar: Serve as a dip with crusty bread, crackers, on a Meze Platter or with raw vegetables. You can even use it as a sandwich spread alone or mixed with vegan mayo.

Ajvar is very versatile that you can use it in pasta, mock-meat dishes or even as a healthy snack with some fresh crusty bread.

Ingredients Used to Make Ajvar

• Olive Oil
• Red Bell Peppers – The main ingredient in Ajvar
• Garlic – Adds flavour
• Parsley- This must be fresh parsley and not the dried stuff!
• Chilli – I jump at the opportunity to add chilli to…just about anything.  The first time I made Ajvar, it was a little on the spicy side.  So only add the chilli to your preference.
• Paprika – This gives the Ajvar a nice smokey taste

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF AJVAR?

There are different variants of ajvar across the region. Among the most popular, you can find:
Ljutenica which is from Bulgaria.  This type of Ajvar is prepared with pepper, carrot, eggplant, tomato, onion, garlic, black pepper, vegetable oil, sugar, and salt.

• Zacuscă from Romania. This is made with eggplant, sautéed onions, tomato paste, and roasted red peppers, to which some add mushrooms, carrots, or celery.
• Kyopolou from Bulgaria and Turkey, which consists in roasted eggplants and garlic, to which baked bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, black pepper, and laurel leaves can often be added.
• Biber salçası from Anatolia (Turkey) is a thick and deep red paste made from red chilli peppers or sweet long peppers and salt.

HOW TO MAKE AJVAR PASTA

• Preheat your oven.
• Place the whole bell peppers on a tray lined with baking paper and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the skins start to blister off.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes until the skins are ready to peel off. Remove the seeds and core and discard.
• Meanwhile, bring to boil a pan of salted water and cook the pasta until tender. Drain.
• Place the peppers, olive oil, parsley, garlic, chilli, paprika and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour the Ajvar sauce over the pasta and mix well.
• Serve and enjoy.

If you enjoyed this recipe then try my Vegan mac and cheese recipe which is similar to this Creamy Ajar Macaroni pasta. Also, try this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed this recipe.  If you have tried my recipe then please leave me a comment and rating on my recipe.  I would also love to see what you have made, so please don’t forget to #tag me in your posts on  @Simply_healthy_vegan

Emily 

xoxo

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