Roasted vegetable pasta sauce

If you haven’t yet heard me harp on about how we should be eating more vegetables then here it is: we should be eating more vegetables, at least 10 portions of veg a day in fact.
It’s totally doable but I recognise some of you may be slightly fussier eaters or at least have to cook for fussy eaters.
So here is your solution: lots of roasted vegetables disguised in a delicious pasta sauce.
This recipe is also great to use up veggies that are past their best, or those half peppers that are lurking in the back of the fridge.

Please note: whilst super high in nutrients, this recipe does lack protein, so either use a protein pasta or top with protein such as some cheese or a cooked chicken breast.

Ingredients to feed 4:
1/2 aubergine, cut into chunks
1 small courgette, thickly sliced
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 pepper of any colour, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
200g of passata (or chopped tomato)
100g sundried tomato
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Rapeseed oil for roasting
Pasta to serve
A handful of fresh basil (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Pop all of the veggies, apart from the passata & sundried tomatoes, on a roasting tray.
Drizzle with rapeseed oil, season with a pinch of sea salt and scatter over the thyme.
Stir to combine and roast for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water.
To make the sauce, transfer the roasted veggies to a blender whilst still hot, add the passata and sundried tomatoes, around 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and lots of black pepper.
Blend until it is completely smooth.
Check the seasoning and add more if needed.
Combine the pasta, sauce and pasta water, stir well then divide between plates.
Serve with a few fresh basil leaves scattered over the top.

The sauce freezes well, just freeze it before adding the pasta.

Caponata

Aubergine caponata, Clarence Court eggs, parsley, pine nuts, good bread for dipping.
This dish is such a treasure. In fact, it’s so tasty I had it for breakfast and dinner.
It’s that perfect combination of “dippy ingredients” that have so much flavour you can’t stop eating it. 

Caponata is a Sicilian aubergine/ veg based dish. I can’t claim to have an authentic recipe but trust me, my take on it is delicious.
Save this recipe for endless brunches/ lunches/ speedy dinners.
It keeps well in the fridge for 3 days. 

Ingredients for 2

1 large aubergine, thickly sliced 
1 stick of celery, diced 
1/2 pepper, diced 
2 shallots/ 1 small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
A handful of olives (optional)
A handful of pine nuts, toasted 
A handful of fresh parsley 
Rapeseed oil for cooking 
Sea salt & black pepper to season
As many eggs as you would like 
Good bread for dipping

Method:
Slice the aubergine and drizzle each slice with some rapeseed oil.
Fry in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until it starts to colour. Do this is in batches. 
Wipe the frying pan and add a splash of rapeseed oil.
Pop it on a low heat with the onion & celery and cook for around 5 minutes until softened. 
Add the aubergine, tomato, garlic, lots of sea salt and black pepper, the diced pepper and cook until thickened. Around 15 minutes on a medium heat. 
Throw in the olives. 
Check the seasoning and season again if needed. 
Divide the mixture between two plates.
Top with eggs, pine nuts and parsley. 
Serve with good bread for dipping.