Cheesy Vegetarian Pasta Bake

With this cheesy vegetarian pasta bake is not only filled with cheesy goodness but also veggies. This pasta bake is also kid friendly.

Pasta dishes are known as everyone’s favorite comfort food. In this pasta bake, I wanted to combine comfort and healthy in one dish. The result of that combination was this Cheesy Vegetarian Pasta Bake that I will share with you guys.

I really enjoyed this recipe so much that I didn’t even realized that there was no meat inside of it. I used a bunch of different veggies that you can easily find in the grocery store. Basically all the ingredients are easy to find.

In my opinion a good pasta bake starts with the sauce. You cannot just make a basic sauce for this dish because the sauce brings all the flavor. I made my own sauce for the recipe, but you can always go the easy route. Although, I highly recommend making your own, you can use the store brought kind.

I know this fairly simple dish, but I thought I should share some few Tips & Tricks. Hopefully, this will help you guys.

TIPS & TRICKS

• The sauce: I made a tomato base sauce. To make the sauce all you need is a good tomato purée then some herbs(thyme, oregano, basil, parsley and bay leaves). I like to aadd red wine to my tomato sauces for an extra kick but you can do without it. However, I cannot do without brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in my tomato sauces. I like the sauce simmer on medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes so it can thicken a little.
• The veggies: I kept it simple by using zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers. I cooked the veggies in a pan for 5-7 minutes or until they are tender. I seasoned them lightly with salt and black pepper because the sauce will give it flavor at the end.

I hope you enjoy the recipe.

Now, let’s get into it.

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Vegetarian Cheesy Pasta Bake

With this cheesy vegetarian pasta bake is not only filled with cheesy goodness but also veggies. This pasta bake is also kid friendly.

Servings 8

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Tomato sauce:

• 8 oz Tomato purée
• 2 leaves Fresh basil
• 2 leaves Fresh oregano
• 2 springs Fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Red wine (optional but highly recommended)
• 1/4 cup Tomato paste
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Onion powder

Pasta bake:

• 8 oz Penne pasta cooked
• 4 oz Mozzarella shredded and drained
• 6-8 medium Mushrooms sliced
• 3-4 medium Carrots diced
• 1 medium Bell pepper sliced
• 1 medium Zucchini diced
• 1 medium Onion sliced
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F/180°C.

Cooking the pasta:

• Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Making the tomato sauce:

• In a medium sauce pan, combine all the ingredients together. Stir everything.
• Let it simmer on medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thicken.
• Once it has done cooking, remove it from the heat.

Cooking the veggies:

• In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and cook all the veggies.
• Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
• Cook the veggies for 7-10 minutes.

Assembly & baking:

• Mix in the veggies to the tomato sauce as well as the parmesan and cooked pasta.
• Pour the pasta mixture into a 11 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with the shredded mozzarella.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Let it cool then serve and enjoy!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Other pasta dishes you may enjoy:

Creamy Curry Chicken Pasta

Classic Beef Lasagna

Homemade Chicken Meatballs