To prepare the ingredients, finely chop the onion, chilli (deseeded and optional), and basil leaves. Dice the red capsicum. Peel and crush the garlic. Finely grate the cheese.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the wholemeal spiral pasta and cook for 10 minutes or until ‘al dente’, stirring regularly to ensure that the pasta does not stick. Drain and return back to the saucepan.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and red capsicum. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until the capsicum softens. Remove the lid and add the garlic and chilli (leave out the chilli if you don’t like too much heat!) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add the diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until it has thickened slightly and the vegetables have softened. Stir through , basil leaves and pine nuts until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Throw in the drained pasta and toss to coat well.
Divide the Vegetarian Arrabiata between bowls and top with the finely grated cheese, if you like.
