Storecupboard pasta bake: crispy red pepper & cannellini beans with blue cheese

This is a good quick storecupboard pasta bake. I often buy jars of ready roasted red peppers, then don’t know what to do with them – this is a perfect way to use them up. You can use any cheese you have lying about – I like the contrast of blue cheese with this, but feta or goat’s cheese would be just as good.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to max. Tip the tomatoes into a small lasagne dish, transfer to the oven and grill for
   5-10 minutes, until softened.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni for
   9-11 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until just al dente.
3. Drain the pasta, then stir in the grilled tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, red peppers, black olives, cannellini beans, spring onions, smoked paprika, lemon juice, half the cheese, the sea salt and a good grind of black pepper. Taste and adjust the lemon juice, salt and olive oil as needed.
4. Return the mixture to the lasagne dish, and scatter over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then return to the grill for
   3-5 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot. Leftovers are excellent in a lunchbox.

The Quick Roasting Tin