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Before you jump to Veggie Pasta Bake recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Deciding on Wholesome Fast Food.
Almost each and every “get healthy” and “weight loss” document you read will tell you to skip the drive through and make all of your meals yourself. This is really very true. Now and then, though, you absolutely do not wish to make a whole meal for your family or even just for yourself. Sometimes you just wish to hit the drive through on the way home and call it a day. There isn’t any reason that you shouldn’t be permitted to do this and not be tormented by guilt about slipping on your diet. You can do this because most of the popular joints are now marketing “healthy” menu options to keep their businesses up. Here is the way to eat healthfully when you visit the drive through.
Pick out a drive through at a restaurant that’s known for catering to people with better palates. Arby’s for example, is void of burgers. You could eat roast beef sandwiches, wraps and salads instead. Wendy’s, obviously, is known for its square burgers, nevertheless the menu there has a bundle of wholesome choices like salad, potatoes and chili. Most fast food dining places do not stoop to the harmful lows seen at McDonalds.
Logic claims that one the simplest way to stay healthy is to bypass the drive through and never eat fast food. While, for the most part, this is a good idea, if you make smart choices, there is no reason to feel guilty for visiting a drive through one or two times a month. Sometimes the best thing is to let someone else produce your dinner. If you decide on healthy products, the guilt usually associated with hitting the drive through shouldn’t be so bad.
We hope you got benefit from reading it, now let’s go back to veggie pasta bake recipe. You can have veggie pasta bake using 24 ingredients and 11 steps. Here is how you cook it.
The ingredients needed to cook Veggie Pasta Bake:
- You need 750 g Penna Pasta
- Provide Olive oil (max 3 tablespoons only), plus extra for drizzling
- Provide Salt
- Prepare Sauce
- You need 2 cans plum tomatoes (400g each)
- Use 1 jar pasta bolognese sauce (500g)
- You need 1/4 cup water
- Use 1 tsp Italian herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme)
- Get 3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Get 3 green chillies halved, lengthwise (medium spice level)
- Get 1-1.5 tbsp sugar
- Prepare Fresh basil (leave some for garnish)
- Get VEGGIES + SAUSAGES (dry-fried/grilled & baked)
- Provide Vegetarian sausages (I used Cauldron brand)
- You need 1 courgette/zuchinni, chopped round then into half moons
- Take 1 Aubergine (medium-large), cut vertically- see pics below
- You need 1 pack button mushrooms, washed and medium chopped
- You need 120 g pack Spinach, washed
- Use 1 large red onion
- Get 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Use Toppings
- Use Fresh basil
- Prepare Cheddar and mozarella, shredded/grated
- Get Olive oil for drizzling
Steps to make Veggie Pasta Bake:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius- for sausages and courgette later
- For the sauce. In a pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil. Then add chopped garlic, 3 green chillies, halved. Cook until garlic is browned
- Turn up heat slightly. Add in 2 cans of plum tomatoes, 1 jar bolognese sauce, pinch of salt, italian herbs and fresh basil. Add 1/4 cup water. Mix all until sauce comes to a boil. Then lower heat, cover and let simmer over low-medium heat for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Cook pasta as per pack instructions with 1 tbsp oil and salt. Drain when ready.
- While pasta sauce is simmering for the next 25 mins, put sausages in pre-heated oven. Bake as per pack instructions (mine were 20 mins). Cut courgettes into half moons. Bake for 10 mins. (I put mine in the same baking pan as the sausages and just removed them earlier, allowing sausages to finish baking). Once baked, cut sausages. Set courgettes and sausages aside.
- Cut your aubergine lengthwise. In a separate pan, on medium heat (NO OIL), place aubergine and allow to dry-fry for 7-10 mins on each side, turning occasionally, until they become slightly charred- see pic. Remove and set aside.
- Slice red onion thinly. In same pan, on medium heat, add half tbsp oil and sliced red onions. When they start to wilt, add 1tsp balsamic vinegar (see pic). This will give them a sweet taste! Allow to caramelise slightly. Remove and set aside.
- In same pan, cook your mushrooms until no longer watery. Set aside.
- Pasta tomato sauce should be ready and reduced by now. Add 1tbsp sugar to balance the taste. Mix. Add drained pasta to sauce together with the courgettes, mushrooms, sausages. Mix all. Add spinach, cover for 2 mins to allow it to wilt. Uncover. Stir all for 1 min. Remove from heat.
- Assemble! Grease your baking dish with a spray of olive oil. Pour the mixed pasta. Top with the caramelised red onions and charred aubergine. Finish with grated cheddar and mozarella all over. Add basil for garnish. See pic.
- Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil. Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 15 mins, until golden. Enjoy and bon appetit!
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