Richard Makin’s roasted carrot pasta recipe

“Carrots and pasta don’t hang out together enough, considering how well they get along,” says plant-based food writer Richard Makin.

“In this recipe, we roast up a bunch of carrots that have been massaged with miso paste, then blend to make a sauce that hugs the rigatoni like a long-lost friend. It’s sweet and smoky, like an elevated mac and cheese, but without the mac or the cheese.”

Roasted carrot pasta

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

450g carrots (around 4 carrots), peeled and sliced into coins
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp miso paste (white or red)
½tsp fine sea salt
¼tsp ground black pepper
1 bulb garlic
160ml vegetable stock
150g silken tofu
1tbsp tomato puree
6 sun-dried tomatoes from a jar
1tsp paprika
340g dried vegan pasta
Fresh parsley, finely chopped, to serve
Chilli flakes, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7.

2. Place the sliced carrots and onion in a large baking tray and drizzle with half of the olive oil. Add the miso paste and massage into the carrots with your hands. Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.

3. Slice the bulb of garlic in half horizontally and place it in the centre of the carrots, cut-sides up. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

4. Place the tray in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, tossing the carrots and onion half-way through cooking, or until the carrots are tender and slightly browned.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the tray with the carrots.

6. In a blender, combine the roasted carrots, onions and garlic with the vegetable stock, silken tofu, tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes and paprika, and season with salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.

7. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water until it’s al dente. Reserving around a cup of the pasta water, drain and return the pasta to the pan.

8. Pour the creamy sauce over the pasta and place the saucepan back over medium heat. If necessary, use the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Stir until just piping hot, then divide the pasta amongst four bowls. Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley and chilli flakes.

Stress-Free Dinners by Richard Makin is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £22. Photography by Richard Makin. Available now.