Ratatouille & ricotta macaroni

This is a deconstructed twist on macaroni cheese with a layer of Mediterranean veg using Italian ricotta, so you don’t have to make a traditional sauce

Prep:15 mins
Cook:45 mins
Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 456
fat 11g
saturates 5g
carbs 64g
sugars 0g
fibre 13g
protein 19g
salt 0.98g

Ingredients

400g chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato purée
4 large garlic cloves, finely grated
12 Kalamata olives, quartered
1 tsp bouillon powder
1 large aubergine (350g), diced
2 courgettes (325g), halved and sliced
200g ricotta
20g pack basil, small leaves reserved to garnish, the rest chopped
400g wholemeal penne
20g finely grated parmesan

Tip

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Method

Tip the tomatoes into a pan with a can of water, the tomato purée, garlic, olives and bouillon. Add the aubergine and courgettes, then cover and simmer for 30 mins until the veg are tender.
Meanwhile, mix the ricotta and basil together in a small bowl with plenty of black pepper.
Boil half of the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Tip into a bowl and toss with half the ricotta mixture and a couple of spoonful of pasta water, adding more to loosen if needed. Spoon half the ratatouille and the penne into two pasta bowls and sprinkle with half the parmesan and basil leaves. Cover and chill the remaining ratatouille, basil and ricotta for another night. Will keep chilled for up to three days. When ready to serve again, warm the ratatouille in a pan over a low heat and continue with the method from step 3.

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