Anyway this is the recipe I devised the other day when the popped over and ended up staying for dinner. It was a lot to do with what I had in the fridge. It can be served just as a pasta sauce, but I like to do mine as a bake, when I'm trying to juggle over bits for dinner it's easier to keep warm this way.
Glug of Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic
1 celery stick
1 Carrot
1 Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper500g fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp tomato puree
1 knorr herb pot
400g penne pasta (I used fresh)
60g grated mozzarella
60g grated cheddar
10 baby tomatoes (optional)
8 basil leaves chopped finely
Start by dicing the carrot, celery and onion into tiny pieces, pour the oil into the pan and fry the chopped veggies until translucent. Grate in the garlic clove, deseed and chop the peppers into bite sized pieces add to the pan, chop the tomatoes into quarters add to the pan.
Cook until the vegetables all soften, add the tomato puree, sugar and herb pot, season and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Spoon into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Cook the pasta as instructed. Pour over the sauce and add the grated mozzarella. Spoon into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the grated cheddar. Stud with baby toms if using. Cover with foil.
Cook in a preheated oven 170˚c for about 20 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes, scatter with freshly chopped basil and serve immediately.
* You could add pieces of cooked chicken along with the mozzarella cheese.
*Would go really well with a green salad and my Soda Bread