Recipes with Zerlina Mastin

ONE POT PEPPER PASTA

Tasty, quick, and perfect for any day of the week. Just cook the pasta, then throw in the rest of the ingredients. The star of the show would have to be the pepper, boasting a fantastic vitamin C content and beating the famous tomato four times over! Vitamin C is perhaps the most famous of all vitamins, being a powerful antioxidant, but it does play many functions in the chemistry of the body, including bone health and helping the body form connective tissue and skin. It increases our absorption of iron, and can have mood elevating effects.

You can also swap the pepper for another vegetable. Even broccoli would work. The sauce on its own would also make a great soup.

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 tbsp. olive oil, 300g spaghetti, 1 small red onion, 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes, ½ vegetable stock cube, 2 medium red peppers, 1 low fat mozzarella ball, black pepper (to taste), handful of fresh basil.

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions then drain and put back into the pot.

2. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, red onion, stock cube and pepper in a blender, and process until smooth (ingredients can also be finely chopped).

3. Add the pepper blend into the spaghetti pot, mix in the olive oil and roughly torn mozzarella then heat on medium until piping hot.

4. Serve with a sprinkle of basil