Roasted brussel sprout pasta

Step 1

Put 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 grated garlic cloves in a small bowl. Set aside to infuse.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 200° C / 390° F and grab a large baking tray. Grease it lightly with olive oil if you wish, but there is no need to line it with paper.

Step 3

Clean your brussels sprouts (I tend to take the outer leaves off if they are very knackered and cut the very end of the stem off) and slice each sprout into 4 equally thick slices in the direction of the stem.

Step 4

Coat sliced sprouts in 1 tbsp of olive oil, spread on the baking tray making sure the slices don't overlap as much as possible. Season with salt and pepper and allow them roast for about 15-20 minutes (until lightly charred in places), giving them a good stir after 10 minutes.

Step 5

Cook the pasta al dente following the instructions on the packet saving 60 ml / ¼ cup of cooking water just before you drain your pasta.

Step 6

Heat up a heavy bottom frying pan on low heat. Once hot, add in the garlic-infused oil and a pinch of chilli flakes (if using).

Step 7

Gently cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, but do not allow it to brown as it will make your pasta taste bitter. If the garlic is sizzling too aggressively, turn the heat off (or take the pan off the heat if not using gas) and allow it to cook in the residual heat.

Step 8

Add breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast and a good pinch of salt and allow them to cook in with the garlic oil for another minute or so.

Step 9

At this point, you can add vegan cream or creamy plant milk to make this dish more indulgent.

Step 10

If not using cream, whisk enough of pasta cooking water (you may not need all of it) to emulsify all the ingredients into a thick sauce. Season with lemon juice and then toss the drained pasta in the garlicky oil.

Step 11

Season with lemon zest, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and stir in the roasted sprouts.

Step 12

Divide between two plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley and roasted walnuts.