Cherry tomatoes, roasted with garlic, onion, courgette and peppers, then tossed together with pasta, pesto and cream – this is an easy, meat-free meal, where the oven does most of the work for you.
1red onion peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
1courgette(zucchini) chopped into bite-size chunks
1red pepper sliced
1yellow pepper sliced
2tbspolive oil
400g(14 oz) pasta shapes such as spiralli
3tbsppesto
4tbspdouble (heavy) cream
To Serve:
a small bunch of basil leaves
2tbspgrated Parmesan
1tbsptoasted pine nuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Place the tomatoes in a large roasting dish, sprinkle over the cornflour, salt, pepper and paprika and toss together until the tomatoes absorb the cornflour.
300 g (10.5 oz) cherry tomatoes, 2 tsp cornflour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp paprika
Add the garlic, red onion, courgette and peppers to the roasting dish. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss together to coat thoroughly.
2 garlic cloves, 1 red onion, 1 courgette, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil
Place in the oven and roast for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain the pasta using a colander.
400 g (14 oz) pasta shapes
When the vegetables are golden, remove from the oven and stir in the pesto and cream, then return to the oven for a final 2 minutes, to heat through.
3 tbsp pesto, 4 tbsp double (heavy) cream
Remove the roasting dish from the oven, add the pasta and toss to coat in the sauce.
Divide the pasta among bowls and serve topped with fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.
a small bunch of basil leaves, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?Pasta dishes like these are usually best served straight away. However, if you have leftovers, you can cool, cover and refrigerate them right away. It should keep well in the fridge for up to two days.Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times whilst reheating. You may want to add a splash of water, stock and/or cream to loosen up the pasta, as the pasta will absorb more sauce during storage and reheating. Make sure it is piping hot throughout before serving.Can I freeze it?No, I don’t recommend freezing this dish. It makes the vegetables kind of mushy upon defrosting.Ingredient swaps
Swap out some of the vegetables for your favourite vegetables – asparagus, green beans, small cubes of butternut squash or sweet potato all work well (add them in at the same time as the rest of the vegetables).
Add frozen peas or tinned/frozen sweetcorn (add these in with the stock).
Stir in wilting leaves such as baby spinach or watercress at the end.
Swap out the spiralli for your favourite pasta - follow the packet instructions to cook.
Make it Vegetarian The pesto and Parmesan in this dish mean that, although it’s meat-free, it’s not vegetarian. You can easily make it vegetarian by using vegetarian pesto instead of regular pesto, and vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese instead of Parmesan.How to scale up and scale down this recipe. This recipe can be doubled up for a crowd or halved for two people, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.Nutritional information is approx. per serving (this does not include serving suggestions).