Ratatouille Pasta

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 392°F fan-assisted.
2. Cut the green stalk off the aubergine and roughly chop it into bite-sized pieces. Chop the tough ends off the courgettes and roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stalks and seeds from the yellow peppers then roughly slice them into bite-sized pieces. Transfer all the veggies to a roasting tray, add pinches of salt and pepper and drizzle over a splash of olive oil. Mix, then roast for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile peel and dice the garlic cloves. Add a splash of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat. As soon as the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Next add the tinned tomatoes, red wine vinegar and pinches of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Break-up the thick sprigs of thyme into individual stalks. Remove the tray from the oven and stir the stalks into the veggies, then return the tray to the oven for another 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water as per the packet instructions. Then drain and leave to one side.
6. Pick the basil leaves off their stalks and roughly chop them, saving a dozen or so leaves for decoration. When the sauce is ready, remove it from the heat and stir the chopped basil into the sauce.
7. When everything is ready, remove the thyme stalks from the veggies, then pour the sauce into the tray followed by the cooked pasta. Give everything a mix until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce, then taste and season with extra salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Serve the pasta in bowls and top with freshly ground black pepper and the remaining fresh basil leaves.