This savoury yet subtly sweet dish is a great alternative for the traditional tomato base. The sweetness comes from the capsicums which have natural sugars, and when roasted, it really brings out the flavour of them. The richness comes from the cashew nuts and combined together, it's super easy to make, and yummy at the same time!
The red capsicum, or bell peppers are an excellent source of vit A and C (more so than the green variety). What's so interesting is that the phytochemical constituents of capsicum are shown to produce an anti inflammatory response, which can provide relief with stomach issues, arthritis, and muscular pain.
The red variety not only is sweeter, but as it's been allowed to fully ripen (unlike the green), it also contains higher amount of nutrients. A green capsicum has around 95mg of vit C, whereas the red one has 150mg. Compared to an orange which has around 50mg, incorporating this into your diet is a great immune booster!
Roasted Capsicum Pasta
2 red capsicum
2 carrots
1/2 leek (white part)
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup soy milk
2 TBS nutritional yeast
1 cup soaked cashews
2 serves of GF pasta of choice
salt and pepper to taste
* vegan parmesan to serve
2 red capsicum
2 carrots
1/2 leek (white part)
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup soy milk
2 TBS nutritional yeast
1 cup soaked cashews
2 serves of GF pasta of choice
salt and pepper to taste
* vegan parmesan to serve
1. Preheat the oven to 250˚C. Cut the capsicum in half and remove seeds and stem. Peel the carrots and chop cut in half lengthways and in halves
2. Put the capsicum and carrots in a heat proof tray, drizzle with oil and cook for 25-30 mins. Leave it in for another 10 mins to steam. The tops of the capsicum should be charred. Peel the skin off. (I leave a few bits of the blackened skin for an extra smokey flavour)
3. While it's all roasting, in a pan, heat up some oil and add in chopped leek and garlic. Add in salt and pepper and sauté for 6-7 mins. Sometimes I'll add a bit of water just to keep it nice and soft
4. Transfer sautéed leek and leek to a blender. Add in the roasted veggies, cashews, nutritional yeast and soy milk. Blend on high until it's all smooth and creamy.
5. Cook the pasta, and then stir in the sauce. You can serve with vegan parmesan or leave it as it.
