Roasted Vegetable and Pesto Pasta Salad

Preheat the oven to 190°c. Wash and chop all veggies and place onto trays. Aim for one tray with eggplant, another with pumpkin and mushroom and fill the final tray with tomatoes and onion.

Once on the trays season with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you like some spice sprinkle chilli flakes over the eggplant as well. Cook for 30mins initially and you might want to keep the tomatoes cooking a little longer until they start to caramelise.

While the veggies are in the oven cook your pasta as per packet directions, drain and set aside until veggies are cooked. It doesn’t matter if it gets cold.

To make the pesto simply tear the basil leaves from the stems and wash the leaves. Put all ingredients into the blender and whazz away until it looks like pesto. If you’re short on time you can buy pesto instead.

When all the veggies are cooked you’re ready to assemble your meal. Mix ¾ of the pesto through the pasta. Gently add the spinach/rocket and fold through the pasta. Do the same with your roasted veg. I usually add the olives, eggplant then mushrooms, pumpkin, tomato and onion. Be gentle folding the veg through or the pasta will break and it won’t look as good!

Optional extras: Serve with a side of BBQ chicken breast, a tin of salmon or tuna or keep it vegetarian if you prefer. A sprinkle of Danish feta or avocado also works very well.