Roast tomato and asparagus pasta

This is a simple to prepare, nutritious dish that can feed a crowd within half an hour. Green beans or broccoli are a good substitute for asparagus when it is not in season. The white sauce, flavoured with bay, makes a creamy pasta sauce and toasted nuts and seeds add a welcome crunch. Using whole wheat pasta adds dietary fibre to this meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4 garlic cloves, chopped

400g asparagus, cut into 5cm pieces, tips reserved

3 tbsp olive oil

400g whole wheat pasta

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp plain flour

1 bay leaf

350ml Oat Drink

25g pine nuts

25g pumpkin seeds

bunch of fresh basil leaves, torn

sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180Cfan/gas mark 6.

Place the cherry tomatoes, asparagus pieces (not the tips) and chopped garlic onto a baking tray. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are a little blistered and the asparagus is just turning a little brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Add the asparagus tips for the last 3 minutes of cooking time, then drain the pasta and asparagus tips and set aside.

Heat the reamining1 tbsp of oil over a medium heat and add the onion. Sweat the onion for a few minutes until softened and a little coloured. Add the flour and cook for two minutes until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Lower the heat, add the bay leaf and gradually add the Oat Drink. Stir over a low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Toast the pine nuts and pumpkin seeds in a small non- stick frying pan until just beginning to brown.

Toss the cooked pasta and asparagus tips through the sauce. Top with the roasted tomatoes and asparagus stalks, toasted pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and a handful of fresh basil. Season with salt and black pepper and serve.