Mac’a’ratatouille (V) from The Slimming Foodie in One

Mac-a-ratatouille
By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“All the delicious flavours of ratatouille in an all-in-one macaroni dish. I like to chop the veg really small for this, so it really complements the macaroni, and it’s a great way to introduce fussier kids to these vegetables. You might not be able to resist smothering this in cheese and finishing it off under the grill, but it is delicious just as it is.” Pip Payne, author of The Slimming Foodie in One

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 aubergine, finely chopped

1 courgette, finely chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

200g (7oz) cherry tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

500ml (18fl oz) tomato passata

700ml (1 1/4 pints) hot vegetable stock

250g (9oz) macaroni

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary pepper

Chopped parsley leaves, to serve

Put the oil in a deep nopnstick saucepan, turn the heat to high and add the onion, aubergine, courgette, pepper, cherry tomatoes, garlic and salt and fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning and sticking. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Stir in the passata, hot stock, macaroni, theme and rosemary and cook on a fast simmer for 25 minutes. Stir regularly to stop the macaroni from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After 25 minutes, the macaroni should be cooked through (if not, cook for 5 more minutes before checking again) and the sauce should be thick and rich. If the sauce looks too watery, give it a couple more minutes bubbling away at a high heat.

Scatter with parsley and serve immediately.