Polyphenol Paprika Pepper Penne

This one’s easier to promptly prepare than it is to pronounce unprepared! Ok, enough alliteration: this dish is as full of flavor as it is full of antioxidants, and it’s great for digestive health and heart health too.

You will need

• 4 large red bell peppers, diced
• 2 red onions, roughly chopped
• 1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 10oz wholemeal penne pasta
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven to 200℃ / 400℉ / Gas mark 6

2) Put the vegetables in a roasting tin; drizzle with oil, sprinkle with the seasonings (nooch, paprika, black pepper), stir well to mix and distribute the seasonings evenly, and roast for 20–25 minutes, stirring/turning occasionally. When the edges begin to caramelize, turn off the heat, but leave to keep warm.

3) Cook the penne al dente (this should take 7–8 minutes in boiling salted water). Rinse in cold water, then pass a kettle of hot water over them to reheat. This process removed starch and lowered the glycemic index, before reheating the pasta so that it’s hot to serve.

4) Place the roasted vegetables in a food processor and blitz for just a few seconds. You want to produce a very chunky sauce—but not just chunks or just sauce.

5) Combine the sauce and pasta to serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Which Bell Peppers To Pick? A Spectrum Of Specialties ← note how red bell peppers are perfect for this, as their lycopene quadruples in bioavailability when cooked
• Black Pepper’s Impressive Anti-Cancer Arsenal (And More)
• The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic
• What Matters Most For Your Heart? Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure

Take care!