Delicious Summer Pasta Dishes

Cor, it’s hot out eh? As a fair-skinned, often-clammy Brit I have found this seemingly NEVER-ENDING heatwave both terrifying on an existential level and proper sweaty on a corporeal level. Which is how I’ll face almost any threat, to be honest.

This extreme weather has caused me to reflect on how happy I am that the Hannah of 2016 decided to ditch meat and dairy and adopt a lifestyle which is the ‘biggest way’ to reduce my impact on the Earth. I am delighted that more and more people and organisations are talking about the benefits to reducing our meat and dairy consumption too. And I’m here to help with a couple of simple and really very tasty dishes that are perfect in the summer when you don’t want to spend ages in a hot kitchen.

Both of these recipes are for 1 person and don’t have precise measurements (soz!)

Pea and Mint Pesto Pasta

1/ In a saucepan boil a couple of handfuls of peas for a few minutes so that they’re still vibrant and firm. Drain them and pop them in a food processor/blender.

2/ Boil around 100g of your favourite pasta/whatever you have in the house…

3/ Meanwhile toast some sunflower seeds and/or pine nuts in a pan. I use about handful of each. Once toasted add to the food processor.

4/ Add a big handful of mint, a big squeeze of lemon juice, a big glug of olive oil, some salt and pepper, as much nooch (nutritional yeast) as you like and a garlic clove to the blender. Whizz it up so it’s lovely and chunky.

5/ Add the pesto to the cooked pasta, stir and top with cheese if you wish. Enjoy.

One Pot Butternut Squash and Kale Pasta

1/ In a big pot add 100g pasta (of your choice), a chopped garlic clove, half a small onion (finely chopped), a large handful or two of butternut squash (chopped into small cubes), a teaspoon of capers, a pinch of chilli, salt and pepper, a little lemon juice, a glug of olive oil and then 250ml of boiling water.

2/ Boil with the lid off the pot for a few minutes before reducing the heat to a high simmer and cooking for about 4 or 5 minutes – stirring now and again.

3/ Add a few handfuls of chopped kale and keep stirring the pot with the lid off so you can keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Top up with water if you think you need to. After around 5 minutes of simmering and stirring the pasta should be tender and cooked and you can – if you like – add some nooch, cream (I like Oatly’s cream a lot) and I sometimes grate a little Violife parmesan on top too. Again, ENJOY!