Mediterranean Pasta Bake- a vegetarian pasta bake, packed with veg- aubergine, pepper and courgette and then topped with cheese. Great for weeknight dinners and feeding a crowd.
It's this obsession with trying to get aubergine into lots of meals, and our commitment to Meat-free Mondays, that got me thinking about making a Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Bake. The most recent pasta bake I have posted on the blog is a rather delicious Chicken and Sweetcorn version.That has a lovely rich cheesy sauce, so it's a little on the naughty side. Whereas, this Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Bake is jam packed full of veggies and has a tomato based sauce for days when you want to eat a little lighter. Aubergine, courgette, yellow pepper, tomatoes, onion- all very good for you and full of flavour.
There is a bit of prep work required but a lot of the processes happen simultaneously, so it's not as much work as it might seem at first. Once it's assembled, like most pasta bakes, you just top it with cheese, whack it in the oven and wait for the magic to happen. When it comes out, the absolute best part of the whole dish is the crispy, cheesy top layer, so make sure you get a big spoonful of that in your portion!
Top Tips
- Make sure you chop the veg into decent sized chunks around 7-8cm. You want to be able to see the different pieces when it's mixed with the pasta. Cut it too small and it will turn into mush when roasted and mixed in.
- Leave the veg roasting until the aubergine is nicely browned. That gives it the nutty flavour and smooth texture.
- Serve with salad and garlic bread.
Make Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Bake
Roast the veg.
Soften the onion in a pan.
Add the tomatoes, oregano and stock and simmer.
Mix the veg in with the pasta.
Pour over the sauce.
Mix it all together.
Cover with grated cheese.
Bake in the oven until golden.
Serve.
Yield: 4
Mediterranean Pasta Bake
prep time: 25 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 50 M
Mediterranean Pasta Bake- a vegetarian pasta bake, packed with veg- aubergine, pepper and courgette. Great for weeknight dinners and feeding a crowd.
ingredients:
For the pasta bake
- 1 aubergine
- 1 courgette
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 500g pasta
- 120g mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp olive oil
instructions:
How to cook Mediterranean Pasta Bake
- Preheat the oven to 200 (180 fan, gas mark 5).
- Start with the sauce. Chop the onion and soften in a pan on medium heat, with the garlic and the olive oil.
- When softened, stir through the tomato puree and add the tinned tomatoes, oregano and vegetable stock. Turn down the heat and leave to simmer and reduce until the veg is roasted.
- Chop the aubergine and courgette and yellow pepper into similar sized chunks. Pop them into a large bowl with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and stir until well coated.
- Transfer to a large baking tray and pop into a preheated oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelised.
- Start cooking the pasta. Take 3 minutes off the normal cooking time as the pasta will continue to cook once it's in the oven.
- When the pasta is ready, drain it and transfer to a large casserole dish.
- Remove the veg and turn the oven down to 190 (170 fan, gas mark 4).
- Tip the roasted veg on top and pour over the sauce.
- Gently stir it all together until it's well distributed.
- Add the grated cheese evenly across the top.
- Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is starting to crisp.
NOTES:
Chop the veg into chunks of around 7-8cm.
Leave the veg roasting until the aubergine is nicely browned.
Serve with salad and garlic bread.
Calories
454
454
Fat (grams)
15
15
Sat. Fat (grams)
7
7
Carbs (grams)
64
64
Fiber (grams)
9
9
Net carbs
55
55
Sugar (grams)
10
10
Protein (grams)
18
18
Sodium (milligrams)
364
364
Cholesterol (grams)
30
30
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