For me, there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of pasta. Maybe coffee on a rainy day. We’ll call in a tie.

This is a super simple, delicious pasta – fantastic when local tomatoes are in season. You can definitely mix and match the veggies, depending on your tastes and what’s available at your farmers market that week. Give it a go.

Pasta

500 grams pasta shells

3 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup red pepper pesto

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup goats cheese

Handful of arugula

Red Pepper Pesto (see directions below)

2 red peppers, halved and roasted

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions (al dente, please). Drain & reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking stock. Drizzle your cooked pasta with olive oil to help stop it sticking together.

Preheat a pan on medium. Half your tomatoes. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan to get warm. Add your tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Add your pesto and cook one minute longer. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Toss your pasta in your tomato sauce, adding the reserved cooking stock.

Top with goats cheese, arugula, and a good drizzle of olive oil.

Red Pepper & Chili Pesto

Preheat oven to 350. Half & deseed your peppers, and roast on a baking tray for 15 minutes. Flip the peppers and roast for another 15 minutes, until nice and charred. Allow the peppers to cool for a few minutes, then remove the skins and discard.

In a food processor, put your peppers, garlic, basil, cheese, chili, and walnuts, salt & pepper and blend until combined. With the processor running on low, drizzle the olive oil in to loosen.