Roasted Red Pepper, Walnut and Basil Pasta with Lemony Chorizo Breadcrumbs

This is a midweek meal which is so quick to throw together but it packs a serious punch. It’s become a go-to recipe of mine and trust me, you are going to love it. It has some of my favourite flavours - smoky red pepper, aromatic basil, roasted garlic, spicy heat from crispy chorizo, creaminess from roasted walnuts and zing and crunch from lemony breadcrumbs. Fast, flavoursome and super tasty.

Serves 3-4
1. Roast four garlic cloves in their skins drizzled with olive oil, salt and wrapped in tin foil for 30 minutes at 180 fan. At the same time roast two roughly chopped red peppers until the skin is blistered and blackened.
2. Boil some pasta according to packet instructions in plenty of salted water.
3. Meanwhile make the pasta sauce. Gently toast a handful of walnuts in a frying pan and set aside. Fry a couple of sliced cloves of garlic with a finely chopped red chilli until fragrant. Add 400g cherry tomatoes until the skins start to burst and add the roasted red peppers.
4. Place the walnuts, a bunch of basil and the tomato/pepper mixture with the squeezed out garlic flesh from the roasted cloves in a nutribullet or blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a pan. Season, add a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of sugar to taste and keep warm.
5. Next fry 130g chorizo cubes until crispy and set aside to drain on some kitchen paper. Use the leftover oil to fry a couple of handfuls of panko breadcrumbs with the grated zest of a lemon and some chopped basil and parsley until golden. Once toasted, season and take off the heat.
6. Stir the cooked pasta through the sauce and top with the crispy chorizo, breadcrumbs and some grated parmesan if you fancy. Enjoy in a big bowl for ultimate comfort