Trying to eat a healthy, balanced, nutritious diet but finding it hard to squeeze in all your vegetables? Try adding them into your favourite pasta sauces, either in finely chopped or blended form. Chances are, you might not even notice the difference.

This is my twist on one of the staples of Italian cuisine: a tomato based sauce with a selection of hidden vegetables and a lighter, gluten-free pasta substitute. Delicious!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 brown onion
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 small head broccoli
• 1 cup salt-reduced chicken or vegetable stock (either bought or homemade)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• handful of baby spinach leaves
• vermicelli noodles (1 nest per person)

Method

1. Lightly fry the garlic and onion in the oil until golden brown.
2. Add the finely sliced eggplant, broccoli head, chicken stock, tomatoes and oregano, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. To gain a smoother sauce consistency, remove from the heat to cool slightly before pulsing in a blender.
4. Cook the vermicilli noodles as per the packet directions (usually cooked in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes until soft).
5. Serve atop vermicelli noodles, with roughly chopped spinach to garnish.