Roasted Vegetable & Red Pesto Penne

While the veggies are roasting, add the penne to the saucepan of boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until 'al dente', 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the penne and return it to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking and cover with a lid to keep warm.

TIP: ʻAl dente’ means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.

While the pasta is cooking, finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Pick and roughly tear the basil leaves. Roughly chop the baby spinach leaves.

In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the tinned cherry tomatoes and 1/2 cup pasta water and stir to combine.

Add the vegetable stock, brown sugar and butter to the pan with the sauce and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened slightly, 2-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the roasted veggies, red pesto, baby spinach and cooked penne. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

TIP: Add another splash of pasta water if the sauce is too thick.