Ajvar Pasta

Inspired by Balkan cuisine, and with just six ingredients, ajvar pasta is so easy to make. It includes a smoky ajvar sauce made from roasted red pepper, aubergine and a whole bulb of garlic. This dish is sure to satisfy your taste buds. Plus, it's gluten free!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Balkan

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 417kcal

Author Jess & Dan

Ingredients

6 red peppers - halved and core/seeds removed
1 aubergine - halved and topped/tailed
1 bulb garlic - top sliced off or 6 raw cloves if not roasting the garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil + extra for roasting the veg
2 teaspoon white vinegar
300 g pasta
Sea salt & black pepper

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 230°c/450°f.
Optionally slice the top off the entire bulb of garlic, then place it on a small sheet of foil, drizzle some olive oil all over it (around 2 teaspoons) and then wrap it up in the foil.
1 bulb garlic
Pop the peppers and aubergine, along with the wrapped garlic if you're roasting it, on a baking sheet and roast for 30-60 minutes.
6 red peppers, 1 aubergine
Turn halfway through the cooking time. Depending on your oven, it may take a little bit longer or little less time to cook the veggies. The garlic needs to be soft but not burned and the red peppers should have charred black skins, so the time will vary depending on the oven, the type of tray and how much space the peppers have. The aubergine / eggplant should be very soft too.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and put the peppers and aubergine in a large bowl. Cover with tin foil for around 5 minutes, to allow them to sweat. This will make it easier to peel the skins off.
Peel the skins off of the peppers and the aubergine. Discard the skins, as they are not needed.
Put the pasta on to cook, according to the package directions. Usually, this should mean cooking in salted water for around 10 minutes until al dente.
300 g pasta
Place the skinned vegetables in a food processor with the roasted garlic (squeeze the garlic cloves out of the bulb), olive oil, white vinegar and salt and pepper.
2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon white vinegar, Sea salt & black pepper
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and then stir the ajvar sauce through the pasta until well coated. Serve with parsley or fresh basil and then top with vegan parmesan cheese.

Notes

Variations to try - add fresh thyme, cherry tomatoes or red chilli into the ajvar sauce. Or even try adding white beans or vegan feta cheese too.

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container.

Nutrition