Pasta in a Vegan Tomato and Veg Sauce

AUTHOR:
MAE

Takes Approximately 1.5 hours


INGREDIENTS:

Carrots x 2
Onions x 1 large
Garlic x 4-5 cloves (1 ½ tblspns of garlic paste)


Courgettes x 1
Red pepper x 2
Celery x 3 sticks


Basil x 1/4 bunch


Cannellini beans x 1 x 200 grms tin
Peeled plum tinned tomatoes x 2 x 400 grms
Tomato puree x100 grms


Knorr veggie stock pots x2 pots
Oil 3 tblspns


Celery salt 1 tspn
Paprika 3/4 tspn
Corriander powder 1 tspn
Brown sugar 3 tblspn
Black pepper ½ tspn
Salt 1 tspn


Dry Pasta x 1 pack x 500grms




METHOD:


-Peel wash and roughly chop: carrots onions and garlic
-Wash and chop: celery courgette and peppers (deseed peppers)
-Wash the basil

​-In one heavy bottom, high sided pot, pour in the oil and add the onions and garlic.
-On a medium flame cook the onions and garlic and until soft.
-Add in the spices (not salt) cook for two minutes to bring out the flavours
-Add in the carrots, peppers, courgettes and celery and add water so that all the veg is covered with water (about 1 pint); add in stock pots and sugar.
​-Partially cover the pot and bring the heat up to high and let the veg cook for about 10-15mins.

-Drain off the Cannellini beans in a colander and rinse the beans, set aside to drain off.
-In blender jug, empty out all the peeled plum tinned tomatoes and mix in the Cannellini beans and blend till smooth.
-Decant the tomatoes into a high sided heavy bottom pot (big enough to hold all the sauce and pasta).
-Once the veg has cooked remove from heat and leave to cool on the side.
-Once the veg has cooled for about 20-25mins add in the basil leaves and blend the veg in a blender.
-Decant the veg mix into your large pot which already has the blended tomato 
-Next add the tomato puree
-Using a large spoon, mix the sauce well so the sauce is well combined together

-Place the pot on to the hob, on a medium/high flame-Add in half a pint of water in pot, (preferably hot)
-Boil a full kettle of water.
-Once the sauce has come to a boil add in the pack of pasta and top up with the hot water so that the water line surpasses the pasta line by an inch
-Taste to see if you would like to add any more salt to your taste.

The pasta should cook in the sauce in about 8-10mins
-Taste a piece of pasta to check to see if it has cooked, it should be soft but still with a bit of firmness (a bite). The water should have evaporated enough by this time to leave a thin “soupy” sauce.

Once cooked remove from heat and serve immediately.
(optional: serve with grated cheese/vegan cheese and sliced olives on top)