Pasta With Homemade Pesto

Pesto pasta is the go-to recipe for a filling meat-free dinner. The pasta and pesto are ready in a flash so if you're short on time just fry up some tomatoes to finish off the dish. If you've got longer, throw whatever vegetables you have to hand into a roasting dish with a bit of oil and a pinch of salt, the perfect way to use up any end of the week veg box leftovers.

Serves [6]

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 1 garlic clove, skin removed

• 100 grams parmesan cheese (or vegetarian/vegan alternative)

• 30 grams of pine nuts (can be substituted for hazelnuts, walnuts or any other nut you have in the cupboard)

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• bunch of paisley (or basil)

• 40 millilitres of olive oil

For the pasta

• 4-5 peppers of any colour, de-seeded

• 1 courgette

• 1 aubergine

• 250 grams tomatoes

• 30 millilitres of rapeseed oil

• 3/4 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper

• 800 grams whole wheat pasta

• 20 grams rocket

• 10 grams fresh basil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. (If you're short on time fry some tomatoes in a pan and skip down to step 3.)

2. Quarter the peppers, slice the courgettes on an angle and slice the aubergines. Put all the vegetables in a roasting tray with a drizzle of oil and pinch of salt. Roast your veg in the hot oven for around 50 minutes.

3. Whilst the vegetables are in the oven get started on the pesto: place the pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, pepper, parsley and oil in a food processor and blitz to a paste.

4. When the vegetables are looking soft, golden and cooked through remove from the oven. At this point cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water for 6 minutes, then drain.

5. Cut the cooled vegetables into square pieces.

6. Return the cooked pasta to the pan, add the vegetables, pesto and rocket.

7. Stir and gently heat to warm through.

8. Portion and serve topped with basil and any leftover parmesan.

You might like these waste-busting recipes too…