Cherry tomatoes, roasted with garlic, onion, courgette and peppers,
then tossed together with pasta, pesto and cream – this is an easy, meat-free meal, where the oven does most of the work for you.
I love to pile tonnes of vegetables in my pasta dishes. They soak up the flavours of the sauce brilliantly! The creamy, garlicky pesto sauce mixed with the tangy parmesan creates this flavour that is just so comforting. I usually can’t resist going back for seconds!
Not to mention, with this recipe you let the oven do all the work. Making it perfect for those hectic weeknights!
📋 Ingredients
Pesto – Store-bought or homemade pesto both work great for this recipe
Pasta – You can use any type of pasta you like, just cook as per the packet instructions.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Place the tomatoes, cornflour and seasonings in a roasting dish and mix to coat.
- Add in the rest of the vegetables, and drizzle over the olive oil, mix again to coat.
- Place in the oven until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta as per the packet instructions.
- Take the vegetables out of the oven and mix in the pesto and cream. Put back in the oven for a further few minutes.
- Remove from the oven and toss in the pasta, then serve!
Pro Tip
Why are we coating the tomatoes in cornflour? As the vegetables roast in the oven, they release liquid. The addition of the cornflour ensures that, as the liquid is released, it’s transformed into a thick sauce, which when mixed with the cream and pesto, will be full of flavour.
Those vibrant vegetables soak up the sauce beautifully.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
The basil adds a wonderful hint of freshness and the toasted pine nuts combine with the creamy sauce really well!
🍲 More fantastic Meat-Free Pasta recipes
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Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
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Place the tomatoes in a large roasting dish, sprinkle over the cornflour, salt, pepper and paprika and toss together until the tomatoes absorb the cornflour.
300 g (10.5 oz) cherry tomatoes, 2 tsp cornflour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp paprika
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Add the garlic, red onion, courgette and peppers to the roasting dish. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss together to coat thoroughly.
2 garlic cloves, 1 red onion, 1 courgette, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil
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Place in the oven and roast for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.
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Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain the pasta using a colander.
400 g (14 oz) pasta shapes
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When the vegetables are golden, remove from the oven and stir in the pesto and cream, then return to the oven for a final 2 minutes, to heat through.
3 tbsp pesto, 4 tbsp double (heavy) cream
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Remove the roasting dish from the oven, add the pasta and toss to coat in the sauce.
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Divide the pasta among bowls and serve topped with fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.
a small bunch of basil leaves, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Pasta dishes like these are usually best served straight away. However, if you have leftovers, you can cool, cover and refrigerate them right away. It should keep well in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times whilst reheating. You may want to add a splash of water, stock and/or cream to loosen up the pasta, as the pasta will absorb more sauce during storage and reheating. Make sure it is piping hot throughout before serving.
Can I freeze it?
No, I don’t recommend freezing this dish. It makes the vegetables kind of mushy upon defrosting.
Ingredient swaps
- Swap out some of the vegetables for your favourite vegetables – asparagus, green beans, small cubes of butternut squash or sweet potato all work well (add them in at the same time as the rest of the vegetables).
- Add frozen peas or tinned/frozen sweetcorn (add these in with the stock).
- Stir in wilting leaves such as baby spinach or watercress at the end.
- Swap out the spiralli for your favourite pasta – follow the packet instructions to cook.
Make it Vegetarian
The pesto and Parmesan in this dish mean that, although it’s meat-free, it’s not vegetarian. You can easily make it vegetarian by using vegetarian pesto instead of regular pesto, and vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese instead of Parmesan.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe.
This recipe can be doubled up for a crowd or halved for two people, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.
Nutritional information is approx. per serving (this does not include serving suggestions).
Calories: 583kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2028IU | Vitamin C: 121mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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