One-Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with Vegetables

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pot with a lid over high heat.

Step 2: Cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until no red meat is visible. Add the carrot and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, until most of the water they release evaporates. Add the capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add the tomato paste and Cajun spices. Cook for 1 minute.

Step 4: Add the canned tomatoes, water, stock and beans. Mix and bring to a simmer.

Step 5: Add the pasta and stir. Let the mixture return to a simmer, then cover and lower the heat slightly to medium so the liquid simmers gently rather than bubbling hard.

Step 6: Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the base does not catch. The pasta should be a little firmer than you want in the middle, and the mixture should still be somewhat soupy; the liquid will be absorbed in the next step.

Step 7: Stir, smooth the surface and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover the pot, turn off the stove and leave the pot on the stove for 3 minutes so the residual heat melts the cheese and finishes cooking the pasta.

Step 8: Remove the pot from the stove. Sprinkle with green onion if desired and serve immediately while the pasta is saucy and the cheese is melted.