Silvana's Mediterranean & basil pasta
Cooking time
Prep: 5 mins Cook: 30 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 4Silvana Franco's fast, easy and healthy vegetarian pasta is perfect for a midweek meal
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Vegetarian
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 452
- protein
- 14g
- carbs
- 86g
- fat
- 8g
- saturates
- 1g
- fibre
- 7g
- sugar
- 1g
- salt
- 0.1g
Ingredients
- 2 red peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges
- 2 mild red chillies, seeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsley chopped
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1kg small ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 350g dried pasta
- a handful of fresh basil leaves and 2 tbsp grated parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), to serve
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Method
- To roast the veg, preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Scatter the peppers, red onions, chillies and garlic in a large roasting tin. Sprinkle with sugar, drizzle over the oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, toss in the tomatoes and roast for another 15 minutes until everything is starting to soften and look golden.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water according to packet instructions, until tender but still with a bit of bite. Drain well.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven, tip in the pasta and toss lightly together. Tear the basil leaves on top and sprinkle with Parmesan to serve. If you have any leftovers it makes a great cold pasta salad – just moisten with extra olive oil if needed.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2002
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
Fantastic recipe hot or cold. First time I made it I put a couple of chicken breasts in the oven to roast for the second 15 minutes, splashed them with some fresh lemon juice, then chopped them up into the pasta at the end. Am making it again tonight and adding some butternut squash and a bit more chilli. It will be coming with me to work tomorrow too!
Oh. My. God. !! This is the best recipe I've cooked - ever. ...and I'm not really a pasta lover either. I looked at the suggestions made by others and added lightly toasted pine nuts at the end and also Crespo Greek Style black olives (the ones NOT in brine, but dry in the jar, stone in <obviously removed the stones before adding !>). Simply stunning. I used wholemeal penne, but I don't think the pasta used would make much difference. The combination of the caramelised red onions, the sweetness of the red peppers, the saltiness of the of black olives and the delicious pine nuts made this dish simply stunning. If you don't try this, you must be mad ! :-)
A fabulously versatile and flavoursome recipe. I used amaranth wholegrain pasta and added broccoli florets to the pot for the last few minutes of cooking.
For the roasted veg I threw in small chunks of sweet potato, courgettes and peeled whole garlic cloves with the onion. Omitted the chilli and peppers because I didn't have any but at the end of roasting added jar peppers and cubes of halloumi cheese. Back in the oven for 5-10 mins to melt the cheese slightly. Threw it all together and topped with a little grated low fat cheese, absolutely delicious despite forgetting to add the basil.
