I love long, thick pasta shapes like reginette and tagliatelle. Reginette especially is very satisfying and filling, and being quite a pretty shape, I find it is good for dinner party menus.

So, although this dish makes a nice meal for any occasion, I would say that it is also a good option for when you have guests round. Although you could consider make the sauce a little richer with some vegan margarine or coconut oil added and maybe use soya cream in addition to the yogurt (rather than the soya milk).

It depends on what you like. This sauce is fairly delicate, with a slight tanginess due to the lemon and yogurt.

And it’s a great ‘end of summer’ supper – when the nights are getting a little bit darker, but are still warm.

If you are a broccoli-hater (like my son is, although I do not understand this one bit!) then this recipe provides a good way to get this wonderful vegetable eaten by the family, without them noticing it too much. However, if they can’t be fooled, then try swapping for spinach instead.

Pine Nut & Broccoli Cream Reginette with Chargrilled Yellow Peppers

Serves 3-4

• 9 ounces / 250g reginette pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
• 1 cup / 175g broccoli, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup / 250ml soya yogurt
• 2 tablespoons soya milk
• Black pepper to taste
• Olive oil for frying

Preparation:

One large vine tomato per person, sliced downwards with stalk intact

1. In a large frying pan, heat some olive oil and fry the chopped onion on a low-medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, until softened (don’t allow to turn brown). Then add the broccoli, making sure it has been chopped into very tiny pieces before adding.
2. Continue to fry the broccoli and onion for about 5 minutes, ensuring the contents of the pan don’t burn. Add the garlic, and gently fry for about 1 more minute before removing from the heat (at this point, you should also preheat your grill/broiler as it will soon be required for grilling the pepper and tomato).
3. Add the dried basil and oregano, soya yogurt, into the pan with the onions and broccoli, and then stir in the bouillon powder and salt. Mix well and transfer to a blender.
4. Blend the sauce well and add the lemon juice and soya milk (or more yogurt if you prefer the cream to be tangier). Pulse a couple of more times. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan for reheating once the pasta, pepper and tomato are cooked.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and immerse the reginette (or similar pasta shape) to cook for about 10 minutes, depending on how well cooked you prefer your pasta. Drain in a colander when cooked.
6. While the pasta is cooking, arrange your peppers and tomato slices on a foil-covered grill pan and place under the grill (broiler) on the highest setting, and grill for about 5 minutes each side – until they are browned.
7. The pine nut sauce should only need a couple of minutes to reheat. Turn the grill / broiler off and leave the cooked peppers and tomatoes under there to stay warm.
8.  Pile the pasta into large plates, spoon over the sauce, and arrange the pasta and tomatoes. Enjoy!

Andrea Wren is a UK-based freelance journalist and has a passion for vegan baking and food blogging. She ditched dieting years ago and loves to create interesting and imaginative dishes that tempt non-vegans as well as vegans. On Andrea’s blog, Chocolate and Beyond, you will find her free ebook, ‘Wot, No Eggs?! The Beginner’s Guide To Becoming An Expert Vegan Baker’, packed with tips and advice. You can also tweet Andrea at @andrea_wren