Pasta & mixed peppers with walnut & lemon pesto
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Ready in 40 minutes
- Easy
- Serves 3
Ingredients
For the walnut pesto
- 25g walnut pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 25g fresh parsley
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the pasta
- 2 small red onions, quartered and separated into pieces
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 250ml pack wheat-free pasta (we used Orgran rice and corn pasta)
- 250G jar mixed pepper antipasto, drained and sliced
- 50g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, finely grated, plus extra shavings to serve
Method
- STEP 1
Make the pesto. Put the walnuts, garlic and lemon zest in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add the parsley, then drizzle the oil down the feed tube and whizz to combine everything together. Season to taste.
- STEP 2
Preheat the grill to high. Tip the onions into a grill pan, sprinkle with 1 tbsp oil, then toss to coat. Arrange them in a single layer and grill for 6-8 minutes until lightly charred.
- STEP 3
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until just tender – it won’t swell as much as wheat pasta, so taste a piece to check that it’s just tender.
- STEP 4
Drain the pasta in a colander. Tip the pesto, onions and peppers into the pasta pan and put back on the heat. Stir for a few moments, then add the pasta and then the cheese. Season and serve straight away, scattered with the cheese shavings.
