Vegetarian pasta bake recipe | Easy vegetarian pasta recipe | Vegetable pasta bake recipe
You’ll love the combination of mushrooms, broccoli, capsicum & kalamata olives in this quick & easy, no-fuss vegetarian pasta bake. Cheesy & loaded with fresh veggies, this dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner for the whole family.
This is my go-to pasta dish when I want something quick & filling for the whole family.
This vegetarian pasta bake is
- Quick & easy, perfect for busy weeknights
- Can be made in advance, just bake it before serving
- Full of flavor – by using garlic, fresh & dried herbs, spices & good quality Italian canned tomatoes
- Loaded with vegetables – perfect to help meet your 5 veggies a day
- Cheesy – using a mix of mozzarella & cheddar for extra flavor
- Comfort food
- Perfect for the whole family
- Vegan option – bake with vegan cheese
- Gluten-free option – simply use gluten-free pasta
Ingredients required
- Pasta – I have used durum wheat semolina fusilli pasta, but you can use any similar sized pasta like penne or rigatoni. Whichever pasta you use, it’s important to use good quality Italian pasta. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
- Olive oil – Use good quality extra virgin olive oil and if possible, first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
- Quality Italian tomatoes – Nothing beats the flavor of sweet Italian tomatoes, so I highly recommend using a good brand of canned Italian tomatoes. In this recipe, I’m using both canned & fresh tomatoes.
- Spices, herbs & other flavors – Garlic is a must; it not only flavors the sauce but also complements the vegetables. Chili powder/chili flakes & ground white pepper add a little heat but can be adjusted as per preference. For an intense flavor, I used both fresh & dried herbs while cooking the sauce. Use both the stem & leaves of the fresh parsley. I have added a little sugar to help balance the flavors, but you can skip if you prefer. I have also used turmeric powder, not normally used in Italian cooking. A little bit of turmeric powder adds depth to the flavor but will not stand out once the sauce is ready. Salt as per taste.
- Vegetables – As this is a simple sauce, it’s very important to have good quality & fresh vegetables, as they too add flavor to the dish. I have used whole kalamata olives, but you can also use sliced olives.
- Cheese – Use only good quality natural cheddar & mozzarella. Do not use processed cheese. If vegan, you can use vegan cheese, however the baking time might differ for vegan cheese.
How to make vegetarian pasta bake
Step by step instructions with pictures & video
Preheat the oven to 200C/380F, fan forced.
Gather all the ingredients & prepare the vegetables. Peel & mince the garlic. Roughly chop the tomato. Wash & cut the broccoli into bite size florets. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in quarters. Wash & deseed the capsicum. Cut the capsicum into bite size pieces. Wash & roughly chop the parsley (stem & leaves). Keep some parsley aside for the garnish.
Shred both cheese & mix together.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt (water should be sea salty). Add the pasta & cook al dente as per packet instructions. Drain. Save some pasta water in case it is needed later for the sauce.
Meanwhile, on medium flame, heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic & sauté to remove the raw smell. Next, add in the chopped tomato & the canned tomatoes. Take a little pasta water (approx. 1 tbsp) to rinse the can and add it to the sauce.
Add the salt, turmeric powder, chili powder/chili flakes, dried herbs, ground white pepper, sugar & the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly.
Next, add the mushrooms, broccoli & capsicum. Mix & simmer on low-medium flame. It’s ok if the sauce looks a little dry, but as the vegetables cook, they will release water and it will become saucier. Keep stirring in between.
Keep simmering till the water released from the vegetables has cooked. The sauce will thicken, and you can see some oil floating on top (approx. 10-15 minutes). Taste & adjust for seasoning if needed.
Keep the sauce a little watery as the sauce will dry up a little during baking.
Add the kalamata olives & the cooked & drained pasta. Mix & switch off the gas.
Tip/spoon the pasta into a large enough ovenproof dish. Cover with shredded cheese.
Place the pasta dish on the center rack and bake uncovered in the oven for a total of around 8-10 minutes. For the first 5 minutes (approximately), bake at a fan-forced setting to melt the cheese. Once the cheese has melted, adjust the knob to ‘fan-forced grill or top heat only’ to brown the cheese. Keep a close eye on the cheese (to avoid burning the cheese) and bake till the cheese is golden brown, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Once baked, take out the dish from the oven and let it rest for approx. 5 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve on its own or with a side dish of your choice.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can make this pasta in advance up to the point of mixing the pasta with the sauce.
After adding pasta to the sauce, empty the pasta in an oven-proof dish & let it cool down. Cover & refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking. Add a little hot water if the sauce looks dry & mix.
Top with shredded cheese and bake as per the instructions. You might need to adjust the baking time a little.
Storing
If there are any leftovers, refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat and consume within the next day or two.
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Vegetarian pasta bake recipe | Easy vegetarian pasta recipe | Vegetable pasta bake recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Grater
- 1 Oven proof dish
Ingredients
To cook pasta
- 250 gms fusilli pasta (or penne/rigatoni)/gluten-free pasta
- water
- salt
To make the sauce
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, first cold pressed
- 3 big garlic cloves, minced
- 1 x 400 gms can finely chopped Italian tomatoes
- 1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp salt or as per taste
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp red chili powder/chili flakes or as per taste
- 2 tsp dried mix Italian herbs
- ⅛ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley (reserve some for garnish)
- 1 small head broccoli (approx. 175-200 gms) cut into bite size florets
- 225-250 gms button mushrooms (approx. 6-8 medium to large) cut into quarters
- 1 small green capsicum/bell pepper cut into bite size pieces
- 3-4 tbsp kalamata olives
To bake
- 1-1½ cups shredded natural mozzarella cheese/vegan cheese
- 1-1½ cups shredded natural cheddar cheese/vegan cheese
Garnish
- 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/380F, fan forced.
- Peel & mince the garlic.
- Roughly chop the tomato.
- Wash & cut the broccoli into bite size florets.
- Clean the mushrooms and cut them in quarters.
- Wash & deseed the capsicum. Cut the capsicum into bite size pieces.
- Wash & roughly chop the parsley (stem & leaves). Keep some parsley aside for the garnish.
- Shred both the cheese & mix together.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Add salt (water should be sea salty).
- Add the pasta & cook al dente as per packet instructions. Drain. Save some pasta water in case it's needed later for the sauce.
- Meanwhile, on medium flame, heat olive oil in a large pan.
- Add the minced garlic & sauté to remove the raw smell.
- Next, add in the chopped tomato & the canned tomatoes. Take a little pasta water (approx. 1 tbsp) to rinse the can and add it to the sauce.
- Add the salt, turmeric powder, chili powder/chili flakes, dried herbs, ground white pepper, sugar & the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly.
- Next, add the mushrooms, broccoli & capsicum.
- Mix & simmer on low-medium flame. The sauce will be a little dry initially, but as the vegetables cook, they will release water and it will become saucier. Keep stirring in between.
- Keep simmering till the water released from the vegetables has evaporated. The sauce will thicken, and you can see some oil floating on top (approx. 10-15 minutes). Taste & adjust for seasoning if needed.
- Keep the sauce a little watery as the sauce will dry up a little during baking.
- Add the kalamata olives & the cooked & drained pasta. Mix properly & switch off the gas.
- Tip/spoon the pasta into a large enough ovenproof dish. Cover with shredded cheese. Place the pasta dish on the center rack and bake uncovered in the oven for a total of around 8-10 minutes. For the first 5 minutes (approximately), bake at a fan-forced setting to melt the cheese. Once the cheese has melted, adjust the knob to ‘fan-forced grill or top heat only’ to brown the cheese. Keep a close eye on the cheese (to avoid burning the cheese) and bake till the cheese is golden brown, approximately 3-5 minutes.If using vegan cheese, the baking time might differ.
- Once baked, take out the dish from the oven and let it rest for approx. 5 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Serve it on its own or with a side dish of your choice.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup=250 ml
- Serving size is as a main dish; as a side dish, it will serve up to 6 people.
- Calories information is approximate, calculated using online Recipe Calorie & Nutrition Calculator.
- Cooking in advance
- You can make this pasta in advance up to the point of mixing the pasta with the sauce.
- After adding pasta to the sauce, empty the pasta in an oven-proof dish & let it cool down. Cover & refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking. Add a little hot water if the sauce looks dry & mix.
- Top with shredded cheese and bake as per the instructions. You might need to adjust the baking time a little.