Spelt spaghetti with vine tomatoes and baked ricotta
Spelt spaghetti has an incredible nutty taste and is a great alternative to regular spaghetti as it’s high in wheat bran fibre, or beta-glucans, which help keep our cholesterol levels in check.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Olive oil½ bunch of fresh thyme (15g)4 cloves of garlic½ - 1 fresh red chilli1 lemon500g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes, on the vine250g best-quality ricotta cheese320g dried spelt spaghetti4 handfuls of rocketOptional: balsamic vinegar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Pour 3 tablespoon’s of oil into a small bowl. Run the bunch of thyme under a hot tap for 3 seconds to reawaken it, then shake dry and strip the leaves into the oil. Peel the garlic, then finely slice it with the chilli and add to the bowl. Finely grate in the lemon zest, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and mix together. Lay the cherry tomatoes in a 30cm x 40cm baking tray. Rub the flavoured oil all over the ricotta and place in the centre of the tray, then gently rub the remaining oil over the tomatoes. Add a splash of water to the tray, place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes, then remove. With 10 minutes to go, cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
Lift the ricotta out of the tray, then shake the tomatoes off the vines, discarding the stalks. Add half a mug of pasta water to the tray and gently shake to loosen all the sticky goodness from the base. Drain the spaghetti and toss straight into the tray with a squeeze of lemon juice, season to perfection, then break that beautiful ricotta over the top. Sprinkle over the rocket, toss together well, then serve. My missus likes this with a little drizzle of balsamic, too.
CALORIES: 492kcalFAT: 18.9gSAT FAT: 5.8gPROTEIN: 16.3gCARBS: 61.7gSUGAR: 9.2gFIBRE: 7g