MAC ‘N’ PEAS

Ingredients

350g dried macaroni

450g frozen peas

40g butter

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

sea salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

50g grated Italian-style vegetarian hard cheese, plus extra to serve

180g light cream cheese

a small handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded, plus extra to serve

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and then add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, add the peas to a pan of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Tip half the peas into the bowl of a food processor, drain the other half and reserve 6-8 tbsp of cooking water.

Blitz the peas in the food processor with the reserved cooking water to a rough purée.

Melt the butter and oil in a non-stick frying pan over a low heat, then add the garlic and cook for about one minute.  Add the cooked pasta to the frying pan, season with a little salt and pepper and add the pea purée, the remaining whole cooked peas, the grated cheese, cream cheese and shredded basil leaves. Mix well and serve immediately with some extra Italian-style vegetarian hard cheese, and basil leaves.