Rasta Pasta with Protein Pasta

You'll need: 2 tablespoons coconut oil · 1 medium white onion, finely diced · 4 cloves garlic, minced

Set your dutch pot or large heavy-based pan over a medium heat and pour in the coconut oil. Once the oil is shimmering and loose, add the diced onion and let it go. You are not rushing it, you want it soft, translucent, and starting to catch a little colour at the edges, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir every minute or so, keep it moving without letting it burn. Add the minced garlic in the last minute and stir it through. The whole base should smell genuinely fragrant and sweet before you move on.

You'll need: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika · 1 teaspoon ground allspice · 1 teaspoon dried thyme · half to 1 teaspoon chilli flakes · 1 tablespoon tomato paste · 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced · 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced · 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

This is the gate that separates a banging rasta pasta from a flat one, do not skip it or rush it. Add the smoked paprika, allspice, dried thyme, and chilli flakes all at once directly into the hot oil and onion mix. Toss everything together and keep it moving constantly for 60 to 90 seconds. The spices will darken slightly and the oil will take on their colour. That deep orange-red is what you are looking for. Add the tomato paste and stir it in, letting it cook out and caramelise slightly for another 30 seconds. Then in go the sliced peppers. Toss them through the spiced base and let them soften over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. They should still have a little bite but be properly coated and aromatic.

You'll need: 200g protein pasta · generous pinch of salt for the pasta water

While the sauce is building, get the large pot of salted water boiling and cook the protein pasta according to the pack instructions. Not gonna lie, protein pasta has a slightly different texture to regular pasta so watch the timing closely and taste it a minute before the pack says. You want it properly al dente, with a little resistance in the centre, because it is going to finish in the sauce and you do not want it going soft. Before you drain it, save a full mug of pasta cooking water. This is liquid gold for the sauce. Drain and set aside. The pasta is the structural body of this dish, it is what holds everything together and carries all that rasta flavour, so getting the texture right here matters.

You'll need: 400ml full-fat coconut milk · 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos · reserved pasta cooking water, as needed

Back to the pot over a medium-low heat. Pour in the full 400ml of coconut milk and stir it through the spiced pepper base, scraping up anything that has caught on the bottom. Add the soy sauce and stir again. Let the whole thing come up to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and the colour deepens. Now add the drained pasta directly into the sauce and toss everything together so every piece gets properly coated. If the sauce feels too thick, add a splash of the saved pasta water and stir it through until you hit the consistency you want. It should be glossy, coating the pasta, and absolutely fragrant.

You'll need: juice of half a lime · large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn · extra chilli flakes to finish (optional)

Take the pot off the heat. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and stir it through. Taste the sauce and decide if it needs a little more lime, a little more soy, or a pinch of salt. Tear the fresh basil leaves and scatter them over the top rather than stirring them in. You want them to stay fresh and vibrant on the plate rather than wilting into the sauce. Serve straight from the pot into bowls. If you want an extra hit of heat, a few more chilli flakes on top finish it beautifully. Bare flavour right there. Not gonna lie, that's peak.