Easy Roast Vegetable and Feta Pasta

Some evenings after work you just want something quick and tasty, and this is fairly healthy too.

Any leftovers are good to take to work for lunch the next day.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Feta cheese

350 Grams Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

1 Courgette/zucchini

1 Red onion (cut into 1/2 cm slices)

2-3 Cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)

3-4 Sprigs of thyme, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme

2-3 Tbsp Olive oil

Black pepper

Enough pasta for 4 people

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
  • Put the block of feta in a large baking dish and surround with the chopped vegetables, garlic and herbs
  • Drizzle the cheese and vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper.
  • Bake for 30 minutes
  • 10 minutes before the baking dish is due to come out of the oven, put your pasta on to cook (cook according to instructions on the packet)
  • After 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven, a mash the feta cheese with back of large spoon. Take 1/2 a cup of the starchy water the pasta was cooking in and add this to the cheese and vegetables and stir well until until this creates a creamy sauce (add more water if you think it needs it.
  • Drain the pasta and stir through the sauce before serving

Roast Vegetable Couscous

Autumn sometimes sees a glut of great vegetables as growing season comes to end.

I love to roast these vegetables up to bring out their sweetness. Then it’s time to decide if I’m making a soup with them or a side dish like this.

If like me you like roast big batches of vegetables this can be even quicker to make as you’ll have these made already. This is really versatile, you can swap out different vegetables as they come in season.

If you’re vegan, you can enjoy this along with roasted chickpeas. I like it with griddled halloumi, or roast chicken and Greek yoghurt. It can be served hot or cold, and it’s ideal for lunch boxes.

Halloumi with roast vegetable couscous

Ingredients

200 Grams Couscous

Vegetable stock

1 Large courgette (Sliced)

100 Grams Cherry tomatoes

1 Red pepper (Sliced)

2 Tbsps Olive oil

3-4 Cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1/2 Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Dried mint, or 2 Tsps fresh mint (chopped)

50 Grams Pomegranate seeds

Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Add the oil, sliced courgette and pepper to an oven proof dish, mix to make sure they are coated and bake in an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees. Include the garlic gloves (left whole with their skins on)
  2. After 20 mins remove from the oven. Stir and add the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle over the vinegar. Bake for another 15 mins (or until the edges of the peppers starts catch)
  3. In a heat proof bowl add the couscous cumin and mint. I recommend checking the instructions on the packet about how much liquid to add. (Then add the corresponding amount of vegetable stock)
  4. Once you have removed the vegetables from the oven, take the roasted garlic and squeeze out the soft centre and stir into the couscous
  5. Stir the vegetables into the couscous and serve