Lusciously creamy tomato sauce dressing perfectly al dente pasta, intensely rich sun-dried tomatoes, salty olives and fresh vibrant basil. You'll never believe how easy it is! GF, healthy & vegan option.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and gently fry for 6-8 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, tinned tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, half the olives and half the basil into the pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then mix well to combine. Stir the dried pasta and vegetable stock into the tomato sauce, then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Cook the pasta on high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the pan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid (or wrap tightly with tin foil). Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Stir through the remaining basil, remaining olives, mascarpone (if using) and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. To serve, spoon between bowls, grind generously with black pepper and top with a fresh green salad.
*The cooking times stated in this recipe are for whole-grain pasta varieties such as whole wheat, spelt, brown rice or buckwheat. If using a white pasta, reduce the simmering time to 10 minutes and check the pasta regularly whilst resting to avoid overcooking.
Any leftovers of this pasta will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be reheated in the microwave or over the stove.
Vegan: Use a vegan alternative to mascapone cheese such as an almond cream cheese, dairy-free cream or leave it out all together.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta. I personally like brown rice pasta or buckwheat pasta. Assure your vegetable stock is certified gluten free.
A few ingredient notes:
Recipe courtesy of georgieeats.co.uk