Vegan wholemeal spelt penne with creamy red pepper and walnut sauce

Vegan wholemeal spelt penne with creamy red pepper and walnut sauce: an easy pasta recipe with roasted red peppers, garlic and olive oil.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 12 min
• Total time: 22 min
• Calories: 490 kcal per serving
• Protein: 16 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Carbs: 62 g

Ingredients

• 1 small garlic clove
• 100 g dried wholemeal spelt penne (or a similar short pasta)
• Coarse sea salt
• 30 g walnuts
• ½ jar of roasted red peppers (about 120 g, in water or a little olive oil)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Cayenne pepper

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · saucepan · stick blender · chopping board · knife · sieve

1. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Drain the roasted peppers and chop them roughly.
2. Cook the wholemeal spelt penne in plenty of salted water until al dente. Keep back a little of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
3. Briefly toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Add the olive oil and garlic and warm gently.
4. Blend the peppers with the walnuts and garlic until smooth. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and a little salt and, if needed, stir in some cooking water to make it creamy.
5. Return the sauce to the pan and toss the wholemeal spelt penne in it until everything is well combined and hot.
6. Serve hot, finished with a little extra cayenne pepper or roughly chopped walnuts if you like.

Good to know

Even when it needs to be quick, it can still taste really good. This pasta is creamy, full of flavour and pleasantly down to earth.

Swaps

Walnuts → cashews (milder flavour, also contain iron and magnesium) | Wholemeal spelt penne → chickpea pasta (also provides protein and fibre) | Roasted red peppers → oven-roasted tomatoes (contain lycopene) | Olive oil → avocado oil (a similarly mild fat with monounsaturated fatty acids)

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt) and tree nuts (walnuts). For children, keep the heat mild; in pregnancy, make sure the nuts have been stored properly and the jarred peppers are pasteurised.

Dairy-free recipes