Vegetarian pasta bake recipe | Easy vegetarian pasta recipe | Vegetable pasta bake recipe
You’ll love the combo of mushrooms, broccoli, capsicum & kalamata olives in this quick & easy, no-fuss vegetarian pasta bake. Cheesy & loaded with fresh veggies, this is perfect for a weeknight dinner for the whole family.
Servings 4 people
Calories 730kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 730kcal