Pasta and Vegetable Sauce

 Serves 4

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 red peppers, halved, deseeded and cut in to strips
• 3 courgettes, sliced
• 400 g/ canned chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp sundried tomato puree
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 8 oz pasta spirals
• 4 ½ oz of gruyere/cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper

 

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan/wok. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the peppers and courgettes and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the tomatoes, sun- dried tomato puree, basil and seasoning, cover and cook for 5minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook pasta as per instructions on the packet.
4. Drain the pasta thoroughly and add to the vegetables. Toss gently to mix well.
5. Put the mixture into a shallow oven proof dish and sprinkle over the cheese
6. Cook under a preheated grill for 5 minutes until the cheese is golden. Garnish with basil sprigs and serve.

Tip: You can add cooked ham or cooked chicken when frying the peppers and courgettes if you would like a meat version.