Vegetarian and flavourful, our Stop-Go Pasta is a fast dinner-time fix. Feel free to adjust the spiciness of this recipe if you are sensitive to hot food.
Serves: Two
Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, diced finely
- 1-2 teaspoons sambal oelek (Indonesian chilli paste) or one fresh chilli, finely diced
- 200g penne
- 200g roasted red peppers
- 50g baby spinach
- 8 black Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
- 1 heaped tablespoon pine nuts
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- mild chilli flakes to serve (optional)
Method
Heat a small frypan over medium-high heat and toast the pine nuts. Keep an eye on them and shake the pan frequently because they will burn easily. After a few minutes they should be browned and fragrant. Take off heat and set aside.
Put the pasta on to boil and cook for a minute less than you would normally.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan on medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chilli (if using fresh chilli). Stir continuously until garlic is fragrant, about a minute.
Add the sambal oelek if you haven’t already added the chilli and mix it through the oil. Add in the roasted red peppers and heat through.
Add in the drained pasta, baby spinach and olives. Stir ingredients through so pasta is well coated. Allow spinach to wilt. Carefully stir in crumbled feta and season with salt and pepper.
Divide into two large bowls and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.
Serve with chilli flakes if desired.
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