A simple, classic dish that really hits the spot. Perfect for when you don’t know what to cook but want something comforting and delicious, fast.

I nearly always have tinned tomatoes and pasta in my pantry and it’s a short trip into the garden to pick some fresh basil, so I love that I’m never too far away from eating this dish!

If you don’t have access to fresh basil from your garden or market, you can of course used dried – or better yet, frozen. It’s not the same but it’s still good.

For me, it’s so important to have dishes like this to hand because some days I really don’t have the energy to go to the shops / market, or barely the energy to cook.

A few months ago I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (aka ME) and it’s made a drastic different to my day-to-day life and the amount I am able to do.

That’s why I’m SO grateful, now more than ever, to have this blog. It’s something I enjoy, I can spend as little or as much time as I need to on it and it’s something I can do from home.

Most importantly, it gives me focus and direction which is what someone in my situation needs to pull themselves out of fatigue, depression and everything else that comes with CFS. So if you suffer with this too – my advice? Blog!



Do you suffer with an illness that you feel sometimes holds you back? How do you manage it?

I don’t normally get “personal” on my blog. I figure that it’s best to just focus on the recipes – because after all, that’s why you came here, right? But it’s nice to open up sometimes and prove that you’re a person and not just a recipe website :-)

Plus, I would love to know if any of my readers struggle with the same issues and learn about how they cope with things.

When I said that I have all these ingredients to hand at any given time, I’m including onions and garlic.

Because I “””cheat””” and use frozen diced onions and frozen chopped garlic. Seriously, a life saver.

If you’ve never come across these in the supermarket, have a look for them in the frozen veg section and pick them up because they will make your lives so much easier! No more onion tears.

This dish is:

Vegetarian & vegan

Easy to make gluten-free (just use gluten-free penne)

Low in fat (only 0.9g per serving!)

Low calorie and diet friendly (just 233 calories per bowl)

Ready in 15 minutes!

Yield: 2 Tomato & Basil Penne Print A super simple, low-fat pasta dish filled with fresh basil. Delicious! Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Total Time 15 minutes Ingredients 180 g dry penne pasta, gluten-free, if needed

1/2 small white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 x 400g tin tomatoes

A bunch of fresh basil, torn

Salt and pepper, to taste

optional 2 tbsp nutritional yeast Instructions Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook the penne, according to the packet's instructions. Meanwhile, make the sauce in a separate non-stick saucepan by frying the onion and garlic with a splash of water. Cook until softened, then add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Drain the pasta and add to the tomato sauce, along with the torn basil, salt and pepper. (Optional) Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top for a subtle cheesy flavour. Serve and enjoy! Nutrition Information Yield 2

Amount Per Serving Calories 233 Carbohydrates 48g Fiber 5.4g Protein 7.2g



For those of you who blog, has it had a positive impact on your daily life? And those who don’t, is it ever something you’ve thought about doing?