Who doesn't love a pasta bake? Take a great pasta dish, add cheese and melt it in the oven. This recipe is based on my vegetarian pasta which is packed with vegetables like onions, carrots, zucchini, capsicum/bell pepper and peas.
A good pasta bake is very satisfying, hearty and comforting - perfect for the cooler months or even to make ahead and freeze.
Vegetarian pasta bake ingredients
- Vegetables - this sauce is filled with vegetables! I use onions, carrots, celery, capsicum / bell pepper, zucchini. You can adjust the quantities as needed to use up what you have left in the fridge - for example, mushrooms, olives and eggplant all work well in this sauce.
- Garlic and tomato paste add depth and taste to the sauce.
- Good quality canned tomatoes are a must - use the best quality you can afford. I use diced tomatoes, but you can use whatever you prefer.
- I use dried basil, but if you have fresh you should use that instead. Finely slice it and add it right before serving.
- Balsamic vinegar and sugar are used to balance the flavour. Use the best quality balsamic you can afford, because it makes a difference.
- Pasta - short pasta like penne or fusilli works better for this pasta. Don't use a long pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine - it's no good in a pasta bake.
- Frozen peas - feel free to sub for frozen corn if you'd prefer.
- Grated cheese - I like to use a "pizza blend" of cheese, preferably one that includes parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella. They all contribute a different taste and texture. You can just use cheddar or mozzarella if that's all you have, but a blend will give a better result.
- Panko breadcrumbs - these add a great crunch.
- Italian herbs adds a little extra flavour to the top of the pasta bake.
How to make vegetarian pasta bake
Check out the recipe card further down the post for comprehensive instructions.
- Dice the vegetables with a knife - or pulse in a food processor to save time.
- Cook the vegetables, and when translucent add the garlic and tomato paste.
- Add canned tomato and simmer while you cook the pasta.
- Add the peas.
- Stir through the pasta.
- Season the sauce with salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar.
- Place into an oven-safe dish and top with the cheese, panko breadcrumbs and Italian herbs.
- Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes or until the pasta is slightly browned and the cheese is melted and golden brown.
What to serve with vegetarian pasta bake
The pasta bake is a complete meal on its own, but if you’d like to serve it with something extra or make it part of a larger meal, here are some ideas:
- Garlic bread
- Focaccia
Salads
- Caprese salad
- Garden salad
- Green salad
- Mixed leaf salad with Manchego cheese, pomegranate and honey mustard dressing
- Greek Cabbage Salad "Lahanosalata"
- My Favourite Coleslaw
Time saving hacks
You can save a considerable amount of time by using a food processor to dice the vegetables for you. Roughly chop the onions, carrots, celery, capsicum/bell peppers and zucchini and place in the food processor. Pulse the mixture until you have a medium dice, but don't process for so long that you have a puree.
Tips
- Use a food processor to save time - but take it slowly, to make sure you don't cut the vegetables too small.
- Gently sweat the vegetables - use a medium heat to soften them without browning them; this brings out their natural sweetness, giving depth to the sauce.
- Using a quality aged balsamic vinegar helps to balance the taste of the dish. Use the best quality you can afford.
- If the pasta bake isn't browning to your liking, you can use the broiler/grill in your oven to quickly brown it. Keep an eye on it though, because it can burn quickly.
- Slightly undercook the pasta - about 2 minutes less than the packet says - it will finish cooking in the oven. This stops the pasta from becoming too soft and mushy.
- Let the pasta bake rest for 5 - 10 minutes as this will help firm up the pasta bake.
Make ahead, reheating and freezing vegetarian pasta bake
You can store the cooked pasta bake in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store it in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with cling film. Reheat in the microwave, or in an oven at 140C/280F.
The pasta bake freezes well and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Add your own touch
- Experiment with adding your own vegetables of choice to the pasta - for example, you could use eggplant, mushrooms and olives.
- Add some anchovy fillets to the sauce for the salty and deep flavour they bring.
- Try different pasta shapes to find what works best for you!
- You can try using different cheeses for a different taste and texture in the pasta bake.
Vegetarian Pasta Bake
| Prep | Cook | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mins | 40 mins | 50 mins |
Serves
4-6
Who doesn't love a pasta bake covered in oozy gooey cheese!? Packed with vegetables and full of flavour, this vegetarian pasta bake is quick to cook and will have the fussiest of children eating dinner.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced optional
- 1 capsicum/bell pepper, diced around 200g / 7 oz - any colour
- 1 zucchini, diced around 200g / 7 oz
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 50g (3 tbsp) tomato paste
- 800g (28 oz) canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp dried basil (or use 3 tbsp freshly sliced basil - see note 1)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar use a quality aged vinegar for the best result
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp sugar or to taste
- 400g (14 oz) pasta penne, shells, or other short pasta works best - see note 2
- 140g (1 cup/5 oz) frozen peas
- 170g (1 3/4 cup/6 oz) grated cheese I like to use a pizza blend - see note 3
- 15g (1/4 cup/0.5 oz) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Italian herbs
Steps
- Dice vegetables - dice the onions, carrots, celery, capsicum/bell pepper, and zucchini with a knife or you can use a food processor to save time. If using a food processor, be careful not to over-pulse, as they’ll disappear in the sauce.
- Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
- Cook vegetables - add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet, wok, or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Once warm, add the onions, carrots, celery, capsicum/bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent. Be careful not to brown the vegetables - turn the heat down if they start to brown.
- Add garlic to the skillet. Stir well, and cook for a further 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add tomato paste - add the tomato paste and stir well to incorporate it into the vegetables. Cook for about a minute.
- Add tomato - pour in the can of diced tomatoes, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any cooked on food. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally.
- Cook pasta - while the sauce simmers, cook the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions, but cook it a few minutes less than suggested as it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Add peas - add the peas and cook for a minute or until the peas are just tender.
- Add pasta - add the pasta to the vegetables in the skillet. Stir well to combine.
- Season - add the basil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and sugar to the skillet. Taste and adjust as necessary.
- Transfer pasta to a baking dish and then scatter the grated cheese, panko breadcrumbs and Italian herbs evenly over the top.
- Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Basil - if you choose to add fresh basil, add it at the end immediately before serving after you've removed the skillet from the heat.
- Pasta - I suggest short pastas like penne, ziti, fusilli, farfalle or conchiglie (shells). Macaroni is too small to work well with this sauce.
- Cheese - I like to use a pizza cheese blend. Typically these include mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar. You can get away with using just cheddar if that's all you have, but you get a better texture and taste using a mixture of cheese.
- More sauce - if you want a looser or runnier sauce for your pasta bake, place a lid on the skillet while you are cooking the sauce.
- Make ahead - you can cook the pasta and assemble the pasta bake ahead of time, and bake the day you want to eat it. If you do this, place a little grease proof paper over the cheese layer, wrap in aluminium foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and paper and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted.
