Antipasti Pasta
With just 5 ingredients, this pasta dish is a great prep-ahead lunch option, or a Friday night treat! Don’t tell the Italians, but you can absolutely mix up all those pasta shapes you have lurking at the back of the cupboard…
Serves 4
Prep 5 mins
Cook 20 mins
Ingredients
- 300g jar Italian mixed antipasti, drained and oil reserved
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 320g fusilli pasta
- 25g pack fresh basil, roughly chopped
Method
Take 2tbsp of the reserved antipasti oil and heat it in a large frying pan. Season and cook the pepper over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until very soft.
Chop the antipasti well – you want some small pieces and some larger - and stir into the peppers. Cook for 2 mins, stirring until well combined, then pour in the chopped tomatoes. Swirl the can out half way with the water and add, then bring to the boil, turn down and simmer gently for 5 mins. Check for seasoning.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Add a splash to the sauce along with the cooked pasta and toss everything together until you have a silky smooth sauce. You may want to add a splash more water to loosen.
To serve, stir through ¾ of the basil, then sprinkle the remainder on top. Drizzle with some more of the reserved antipasti oil to finish.
A little bit extra
Use scissors to chop through the ingredients with super hero speed.
No chopped tomatoes? Simply use a tin of plum tomatoes and snip with scissors.
Tip the contents of the antipasti jar into a sieve over a jug. Once you’ve finished the recipe, you can pour the oil back into the jar and use for cooking.
You can absolutely make this your own with different antipasti ingredients, random pasta shapes or even add a little more protein with some shredded chicken or a can of chickpeas!
Pasta water is liquid gold when it comes to finishing sauces so don’t throw it away! Always reserve a little to add at the end. Remember you can always add a little more so don’t start with too much - you can't take it away!
This is a great easy staple to add to your recipe rota. Give this quick and tasty recipe try and enjoy!
