On the menu today: Hidden vegetable pasta

With temperatures starting to drop and the cold setting in, there is nothing more comforting than tucking into a delicious dish of pasta.

“This is a very easy and tasty dish jam-packed with goodness,” said Hirsch’s PRO Chantelle du Plessis.

“I used my pasta maker to help me make the perfect pasta from scratch.

“Making delicious fresh pasta has never been easier.”

READ: 30-minute meals: Veggie rice bowl recipe

Hidden vegetable pasta

Ingredients

• 30 ml olive or sunflower oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 100 g carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 100 g courgettes or patty pans, chopped
• 100 g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 x 410 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 160 ml vegetable stock
• 15 ml fresh basil, chopped
• 1 bag fresh spinach, chopped
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 15 ml brown sugar
• 400 g fusilli pasta or pasta of your choice
• 50 g grated Cheddar or Parmesan cheese or 50 ml mascarpone cheese

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic clove until translucent.
• Add in the carrots, and cook further for 4 minutes, then stir in the courgettes and mushrooms; stir well, and cook another 3 – 4 minutes.
• Add in tomatoes and vegetable stock. Simmer gently for a further 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables have softened.
• Add the basil and spinach leaves, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook for a further 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Use a plunge blender and blend to a purée.
• While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta according to directions on the packet.
• If necessary, thin the sauce down with a little more pasta water.
• Add the sauce to the cooked pasta, and toss well.
• Add the mascarpone (if using) to the pasta, and toss again.
• Serve with a little grated cheddar or parmesan cheese and a large green salad.
• Spinach is a good source of many nutrients, including folic acid, vitamin B3 and vitamins A and E. It is also calcium and iron-rich, and provides a host of other minerals.

READ: Beat your burger craving

Have a story?

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Thelma Koorts  (editor) brakpanherald@caxton.co.za

or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za

 or Miné Fourie (journalist) minev@caxton.co.za

Remember to visit the Brakpan Herald on the following social media platforms:

Follow us: