Smoked Cod Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 250g smoked cod loin
• 110g dried fusilli pasta
• 30g pumpkin seeds
• 30g pine nuts
• 5x asparagus tips (cut into quarters)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 50g wild mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or grated)
• 1/2 red chilli (sliced)
• 6 vine tomatoes
• Handful fresh basil (torn)
• 1 enchalion shallot (finely chopped)
• 100g vegetarian cheddar (grated)

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius / 392 degrees Fahrenheit / Gas mark 5.
2. Boil the pasta in a deep saucepan full of salted water for between 8-12 minutes (check the pack instructions for exact cooking time).
3. Place a frying pan on a medium/high heat and add a glug of olive oil. Once the oil has heated up, add in the shallot, garlic, chilli and vine tomatoes, then cover the pan and leave for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and add the pumpkin seeds and pine nuts then turn the heat down slightly. Leave to fry for another minute.
5. Add the cod loin (whole) to the pan and season well with salt/pepper. Then pour over half the tin of chopped tomatoes and add the asparagus and basil. Cover the pan and leave for 4 minutes.
6. The cod will have softened now so use the back of a wooden spoon to flake apart the cod into smaller chunks (this is much easier than chopping the cod before-hand). Mix everything together well and add in to a deep oven-proof dish (a casserole dish will be perfect). Also, drain off the pasta and rinse with cold water then add it to the oven-proof dish. Finally, scatter the grated cheese over the top and place within the oven with the lid off for 20 minutes.
7. Take out the dish and leave to cool for a minute before serving up.