Sweet Pepper & Tomato Sauce With Fresh Orecchiette

Before you begin...

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready

Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 min)

Added chicken? Cook at 220°C / 200°C (fan) / gas 7 for 18-20 min

Now, let's get started!

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat

Deseed your pepper[s] (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and cut into thin strips, once hot, add the pepper strips to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 min or until starting to soften

Adding chorizo? Fry your diced chorizo and cook for 4-5 min or until crisp

Meanwhile, boil a kettle

Peel and slice (don't chop!) your garlic

Chop your basil roughly, including the stalks

Add your fresh orecchiette to a pot of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat Cook the orecchiette for 4-6 min or until cooked with a slight bite Once done, drain the orecchiette, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water

Reboil half a kettle

Combine your chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock mix, dried oregano and balsamic vinegar with 80ml [100ml] [130ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Once the pepper has softened, add the sliced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the tomato stock with a pinch of salt and cook for 1-2 min or until the sauce thickens slightly

Add the drained orecchiette to the sauce with a knob of butter and give everything a gentle mix up until the pasta is coated in the sauce – this is your sweet pepper & tomato orecchiette

Tip: Add a splash of starchy pasta water if your sauce is looking a little dry