Vegetarian Pasta Bake

An absolutely easy vegetarian pasta bake that is packed full of chunky vegetables to fill you up.

Hello and happy Monday!

I hope you are having a lovely Monday and that you had a great weekend. It seems that my prayers for good sunny weather were answered and I managed to go for an adventurous bike ride on Saturday. It was kind of tough for me as it was rather hilly. I am not ashamed to admit that I had to push my bike up several hills as I was already feeling like that – (see photo below)

We didn’t go for dim sum this weekend though. Went to our new favourite Chinese restaurant (Blue Moon) instead. Ended the weekend by watching the new movie by Seth McFarland – A Million Ways to Die in the West. Such a wonderfully silly and fun movie!

Enough of my weekend recap and back to Meatless Monday. Today is time for a vegetarian pasta bake. Easy to make, tasty and so filling – especially for a vegetarian dish.

I cooked the vegetables and pasta together first before baking. I find that it just gives the pasta more flavour.

The melted, golden cheese on top really just caps off this delicious dish beautifully. Leftovers keep really well too. What’s not to love?

Vegetarian Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 30 minutes / Cooking Time: 30 minutes / Serves 4

Ingredients

200gm Pasta

400gm Passata

1 Butternut Squash (peeled and chopped into small chunks)

3 Courgettes (chopped into small chunks)

1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped into small chunks)

250gm Chestnut Mushrooms (sliced thinly)

1 Tomato (sliced into 6 sliced – to arrange on top)

1 tsp Dried Basil

½ tsp Dried Oregano

1½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Chilli Flakes

3 Cloves Garlic (diced)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

200gm Mozzarella cheese (grated)

Method

1. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Par-boil the butternut squash and courgettes for about 8 minutes, drain and set aside.

2. Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a pot and sauté the diced garlic. Before it browns, add in the mushrooms and bell pepper. Sauté until fragrant and softened. Add in the par-boiled butternut squash and courgettes. Next, add in the passata and seasoning. Stir through and add in the pasta, making sure all the ingredients are coated evenly with the sauce.

3.  Switch off the heat and pour pasta mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish. Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese and arrange some tomato slices on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has is bubbling and golden.