Pesto pasta with a difference. That difference being that it’s red, obviously. The nut I’ve used is roasted almonds and they’re so yummy with the sweet roast capsicum and intense sundried tomatoes.

This pasta is so basic and simple and you could easily add your favourite protein top it. Shredded chicken or a poached or fried egg on top would be yummy. The nuts do provide a samll amount of protein though. Your other option would be using a high protein pasta, such as one made from chickpeas or another legume or pulse. Totally up to you though! I love it just as it is.

Choose good quality sun dried tomatoes, those preserved in olive oil are a great choice but just go with the best you can afford as they’ll be tastier. The intense sweetness of the capsicum and tomatoes needs the freshness of lemon and salty cheese to balance it so don’t skimp and feel free to adjust things according to your tastes.

I like to think about recipes as guides for you to put your own stamp and creativity on (or like follow them to the letter if you want that level of difinitive guidance, so up to you!) and this one is a really easy one for you to play with and use in different ways. You could slather a piece of sourdough in the pesto or toss potatoes in it for a yummy potato salad. It’d also be yummy in a baked chicken recipe and I might just do that one for you;)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 red capsicum

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/2 cup roasted almonds

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (use more to make it spicier)

1 clove of garlic, crushed

6 cups baby spinach, or roughly chopped spinach

400g pasta , any!

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a tray with baking paper. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Remove the sides from the capsicum and discard the seeds. Drizzle with a little extra virign olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until softened and it has some colour.

Start cooking your pasta according to packet directions.

Place the sundried tomatoes, cheese, chilli, capsicum, almonds, garlic, lemon zest and juice into a small food processor and process to reasonable smooth with a small chunks and texture. Add the oil and a pinch of salt and briefly process again. Check seasoning and adjust as needed.

Put the spinach in a bowl and pour over the pasta water a 1/4 cup at the time to wilt. Drain and set aside.

Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a 1/2 cup of pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot and stir through the spinach and pesto. Add extra oil if you need and you can also add a little of your reserved pasta water to help thin the pesto sauce if need be.

Serve with extra parmesan cheese and a lemon wedge on the side.

HH. x