Roasted Vegetable Risoni

Roasted vegetable risoni is a great alternative to risotto and it takes just a fraction of the time to prepare.

Risoni is small rice-shaped pasta that is also used in salads and soups.

In this recipe is it cooked with a marinara sauce topped with roasted vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, green peppers, onions, and a sprinkle of Parimigiano-Reggiano.

Ingredients:

• Risoni pasta for 2 people
• 1 large green pepper, quartered
• 1 Spanish onion, quartered
• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
• 1/2 garlic bulb, wrapped in foil
• 1/2 large eggplant, cut into 5x5cm pieces
• 1 x 400ml can of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sweet basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 Tbsp of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
2. Place the green pepper, Spanish onion, zucchini, foil-wrapped garlic and eggplant in a large baking tray. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and then roast for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the white onion until it's translucent for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili flakes and salt and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the roughly chopped canned tomatoes and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to low.
5. Bring some water to boil in a pot - this is for the risoni. Cook risoni according to packet instruction.
6. Check You may need to remove the zucchini at this stage as they cook the fastest.
7. Drain rissoni and place in a large mixing bowl. Ladle some of the marinara sauce on top. Add the roasted vegetables and a generous handful of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
8. Add the roughly chopped basil and toss to combine. Serve immediately.