This recipe is a brilliant easy dinner, super quick to put together without any compromise on big, bold flavour. Even better if you've made the pesto ahead of time and kept in the freezer (although it's very easy to make, so not a huge time commitment if making from scratch). You can use shop-bought pesto if you're short on time, but it's really not the same! You can also mix up the vegetables you use, depending on your preferences or what's available.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 red pepper 1 courgette 1 red onion 4 cloves garlic 6 button mushrooms1 aubergine 2 chicken breasts or 200g of quorn pieces 4 servings wholemeal pasta salt and pepper olive oil parmesan (optional) For the pesto:
2 packs fresh basil 6 tbsp good quality virgin olive oil 50g pine nuts 50g parmesan salt and pepper Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c. Prepare the vegetables - chop the onion, pepper and courgette and place in a roasting tin. Add the whole garlic cloves (in their skin - you can squeeze them out once cooked). Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Slice the aubergine thinly and spread on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. By roasting these separately the aubergine goes beautifully crispy and adds another texture into the dish. Roast both trays of veg for 30 minutes until nicely crisp around the edges (you'll be adding the chicken/ quorn halfway through, so set a timer for 15 minutes). 2. While the veg is roasting, prepare the pesto. Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more oil if you want a thinner consistency, then season to taste. 3. Slice the chicken breast into pieces and coat in 2-3 tablespoons of pesto (or quorn pieces if using). After the vegetables have been in the oven for 15 minutes, add the chicken/ quorn for the final 12-15 minutes. At the same time, toss the veg about so it cooks evenly and turn the aubergine slices. 4. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes (or to packet instructions). Once cooked, drain and mix with the remaining pesto. 5. Mix the roasted vegetables and chicken/ quorn through the pasta and serve with parmesan.
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