A DIFFERENT KIND OF TOMATO & BASIL PASTA

It was definitely a pasta kinda day, however I've grown so bored of tomato sauces that I craved something else, but nothing too stodgy and creamy like carbonara. I had recently done a nice midweek food shop so had a range of ingredients in the fridge for some planned dinners for Jack and I, so although my lunch wasn't planned it turned out V nice and varied. 

This was a meal from my veggie week which I'm happy to say went really well, I took it to 10 days before I went home from uni for a short break and was greeted by the mother of all family BBQs, however I'm definitely enjoying more meat-free options these days - something I certainly couldn't have predicted last year. I think a reason people don't go for veggie options is that they seem less filling, but that's really down to experimentation in the kitchen - something I'm probably going to spend my summer doing, seeing as everyone else has gone home :')

Method:

Turn your oven to 200 degrees celsius and boil the kettle. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a foil lined tray with a little drizzle of olive oil, garlic granules and pepper. These should take about 10-12 minutes, so will be ready by the time your pasta and veg has boiled. Pour the boiling water over the pasta and after 5 minutes add the chopped broccoli, then with 2 minutes to go, add the spinach.

Drain your pasta & veg and place back in the saucepan with some olive oil. Take the tomatoes out and mix them in, along with crumbled goats cheese (or grated cheddar/mozzarella) and season with salt/pepper and basil leaves.

Notes:

• Don't skip the basil leaves, they taste amazing when you catch a leaf in your mouthful! In the photo you can only see the garnish, however I chucked more leaves into the pasta before draining so they're all mixed in.
• When stirring all the ingredients together, try to break up some of the tomatoes to spread more flavour through the "sauce"
• There is no such thing as too much cheese

And that's it, a really quick and tasty pasta dish that's a nice change from that backup jar of Loyd Grossman sauce. Let me know if you'd make this! I know it isn't really a recipe, more a meal idea, but who doesn't want more food options in their life, eh.