Recipes: Pesto & tomato pasta with crispy crumbs

This simple yet special storecupboard supper will save the day if you need to rustle something up with a moment's notice

1 onion , finely chopped
3 garlic cloves , finely chopped or crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
190g jar basil pesto
few capers or olives (optional)
140g white bread - stale or fresh, whizzed into crumbs (or 140g/5oz breadcrumbs)
50g pine nuts , roughly chopped
4 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional)
25g butter
350g/12oz-400g/14oz linguine , spaghetti, tagliatelle or whatever you have in the cupboard
1. Gently cook the onion and half the garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins until soft. Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 15-20 mins until saucy. Stir in half the pesto, some seasoning and a few capers or olives, if you have them. Cover and keep warm.
2. While the sauce is simmering, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the crumbs in a large baking tray with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the rest of the garlic, the pine nuts and Parmesan, if Simple yet special storecupboard supper using. Bake for 10 mins, stirring a few times, until golden. Dot over the butter and return to the oven for 2 mins more.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. Drain, reserving a little cooking water. Stir through the sauce with a splash of cooking water to loosen, if you need to, ripple through the remaining pesto and serve scattered with golden crumbs.
PER SERVING

659 kcalories, protein 22g, carbohydrate 82g, fat 29 g, saturated fat 7g, fibre 5g, sugar 10g, salt 1,51 g