3 January 2014

Plate Up. Vegetable Pasta

I really do have an all-consuming love of pasta. There's nothing more satisfying that devouring a big bowl of it, especially when it's a new creation like this one. I was hankering for a big dose of veggies the other day so this is what I came up with. I'm going to say it's 'Tuscan-inspired'.


What you'll need
1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch squares **
2 zucchini, cut into 2cm slices
half a butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm squares
2 carrots, cut into 1 cm slices
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 packet spaghetti
1 tin tomato puree
1 onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon garlic infused oil
handful basil leaves
50ml white wine
grated cheese to garnish

** Note: If you haven't prepared eggplant before, prior to cooking, cut it in half and rub with a generous amount of salt. Leave to sit for half an hour before squeezing out the juices and rinsing. This gets rid of any bitter taste.

What to do
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celius and place your chopped veggies in a baking tray. Make sure you pay attention to their sizes above, as they all cook at different speeds you need to make sure you cut them accordingly so they finish together. Add the cumin, paprika and sage to the dish along with the oil and water. Season well and toss around to coat. Then cook in the oven for about an hour or until tender.

Have a little break and a glass of wine then, heat your garlic oil in a medium pan and fry off the onion until translucent. Add the tomato puree and basil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Meanwhile get your pasta water boiling and cook your spaghetti.

You should now be ready to take the veggies out of the oven. Transfer them into the fry pan and toss them in the sauce. Then serve up your pasta and pour on deliciously big scoopfuls of the veggies and sauce. Garnish with plenty of grated cheese.

Enjoy!


Photos by Krissie.