Smoked Bacon, Roasted Vegetables and Butter Bean Pasta

For five people (quantities for ten are given below)

2 medium-sized red onions
5 medium-sized courgettes (about 600g)
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
4 small tomatoes, quartered
freshly ground pepper
250g shaped pasta such as quills (penne) or macaroni
4 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
5 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped
1 x 400g can of butter beans, drained
handful of fresh basil leaves
1-2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium-sized lemon, cut in wedges

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Quarter the onions. Cut the courgettes into rounds. Crush and peel the garlic cloves.
3. Pour half the olive oil in a baking tray. Add the onions, courgettes, tomatoes and garlic and toss them in the oil. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Put the vegetables in the oven to cook for about 20 minutes, making sure they do not burn.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until it is just firm, drain and reserve.
5. While the pasta cooks, place the cumin seeds, if using, in a large frying pan and 'dry-fry' them over a medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the oil and raise the heat.
6. As soon as the oil is hot, add the chopped bacon and fry until it is well cooked. Turn the heat down and add the drained butter beans. Cook over low heat.
7. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the bacon and butter beans. When the roasted vegetables are ready add them along with any of their cooking juices to the pasta mixture.
8. Sprinkle the pasta mixture with roughly torn basil leaves and Parmesan and serve with lemon wedges.

Each serving provides:
Kcal: 440
Protein: 23.1g
Fat: 20.1g (of which saturated fat 5g)
Carbohydrate: 47.1g (of which sugars 9g)
Fibre: 6.2g.

Nutrition points:

a) This dish is high in vitamin C.
b) This dish contains a medium amount of potassium.
c) This dish contains a low amount of calcium and iron.

Serving suggestions:

a) Try using tuna or marinated tofu instead of bacon. Or instead of bacon, add cubes of semi-hard cheese such as Cheddar or a goat’s cheese to cater to other tastes.
b) Serving pitta bread with this dish will add another 145 Kcals.

For ten people

4 medium-sized red onions
10 medium-sized courgettes (about 1.2kg)
8 garlic cloves
4 tbsp olive oil
8 small tomatoes, quartered
freshly ground pepper
500g shaped pasta such as quills (penne) or macaroni
2 tbsp + 2 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
10 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped
2 x 400g can of butter beans, drained
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves
2-4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium-sized lemons, cut in wedges

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