If you plan for a quick and easy meal with an Italian resto-vibe, try out this cheesy vegetable pasta bake. It is an easy oven-baked dish, fuss-free and ready in just 35 minutes.
Vegetable Pasta Bake
It is loaded with vegetables, good pasta, and heavenly creamy cheese. The flavor combines veggies thrown into the best filling of penne, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. Not to mention that the texture was softened by tomato puree.
The seasonings for this dish include dried oregano, thyme, salt, and ground black pepper. They will all help to highlight the individual flavor of pasta, cheese, and tomato. When already baked, a mouthwatering dish will satisfy anyone around.
Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Dried Pasta. I use Penne for this recipe.
Vegetable Oil. I use vegetable oil to saute the onion and vegetables until tender.
Garlic And Onion. I use both to flavor my dish.
Vegetables: I use bell peppers, zucchini and celery.
Cheese. I use both Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese for an extra creamy and cheesy dish.
Seasonings. I season this dish with dried oregano, thyme, salt, and ground black pepper for a burst of flavor.
Other ingredients: I also use tomato puree and chopped tomatoes.
How to Make the Best Vegetable Pasta Bake?
One: Preheat the oven to 190c/375f.
Two: In a large pot, boil the water, then add the pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the pack; drain.
Tip: Don't let the pasta boil longer than necessary lest you get a clammy texture as the outcome.
Three: In a pot, heat the oil on medium heat, add onion and cook for a 4-5 minutes until softened.
Four: Add bell peppers, tomato puree, courgette, garlic and spices, stir everything and ook for 3-4 minutes.
Five: Now, stir in the tinned tomatoes, cook for 1 minute, then add the pasta and stir everything together.
Six: Transfer to a large baking dish. Top with the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
Seven: Garnish with parsley and serve.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the vegetable sauce ahead of time. Store it in the freezer inside a glass container even up to three months without any problem. Take it out only if you already plan to boil the pasta to make the complete baked dish.
This dish freezes well. Hence, it is not a problem to keep the leftovers in the freezer. Just make sure, however, that you have placed it inside an airtight container before storing it in the freezer. Reheat it in the oven at 400° for one hour before serving it once again.
More Pasta Recipes
- Italian Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Pasta Al Forno (Italian Baked Pasta)
- Easy One-Pot Pasta With Veggies
- Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
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Recipe Card
Creamy Vegetable Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 400 g dried pasta shapes , I used penne
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled and minced
- 1 onion , peeled and chopped
- 2 bell peppers , de-seeded and chopped
- 1 zucchini , chopped into chunks
- 3 stalk celery , chopped
- 100 g cheddar cheese , grated
- 100 g mozzarella cheese , grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- dried oregano
- dried thyme
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Parsley , for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190c/375f.
- In a large pot, boil the water, then add the pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the pack; drain.
- In a pot, heat the oil on medium heat, add onion and cook for a 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Add bell peppers, tomato puree, zucchini, garlic and spices, stir everything and ook for 3-4 minutes.
- Now, stir in the tinned tomatoes, cook for 1 minute, then add the pasta and stir everything together.
- Transfer to a large baking dish.
- Top with the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Aligy says
Healthy recipe for dinner. I liked it. Thanks!