If you happen to know me, my mum or my sister ‘in real life’, chances are you’ll have shared this meal with us at some point.
Back in the mid-90s, mum discovered the recipe printed on a packet of Sainsbury’s fusilli pasta and it’s been a staple part of our diet ever since. When I left home at 17, I ate this quick pasta dish at least once a week. My Malaysian housemates soon fell in love with the colourful combination of flavours, so I took it upon myself to impart the recipe to them. I often wonder whether they still eat it all these years later.
Rather than full-on cooking from scratch, you only need to assemble a few key ingredients to create a simple, tasty dish. A true thirty-minute-meal, it’s delicious hot or cold and any leftovers are perfect in a packed lunch the following day.
You will need:
- 3 peppers {I like to use a mix of red, yellow and orange}
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 300g fusilli pasta
- 200g Greek feta
- 100g pitted black olives
- A small handful of fresh basil
Method:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Cut the stems off the peppers, remove the seeds and slice them into chunks. Toss into a large roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, season and roast for 20-25 minutes until soft and charred.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, cube the Greek feta and tear the leaves from the fresh basil.
3. When the peppers are ready, drain the pasta and add it to the roasting tin along with the olives and feta. Mix well and return everything to the oven.
4. After 2-3 minutes, remove the pasta from the oven, scatter with fresh basil, season with black pepper and serve.
- Love Audrey xxx
