Veggie pasta bake
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
A family-friendly pasta bake with no jarred sauces in sight! A simple homemade tomato and basil sauce is topped with colourful roasted vegetables and melted cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in chunks
- 1 large yellow pepper, seeds removed and cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
- 1 large red pepper, seeds removed and cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks
- 1 medium courgette, trimmed, cut in half lengthways and thickly sliced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 300g/10½oz dried pasta shapes, such as rigatoni or penne
- 2–3 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 500g/1lb 2oz passata
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 8–10 large basil leaves, finely shredded, plus extra to serve
- 125g/4½oz mature cheddar, coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- mixed salad leaves, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Put all the vegetables in a large bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the oil, a pinch of salt and lots of ground black pepper. Toss well then scatter over a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned, turning once.
Meanwhile, half fill a large saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Add the pasta, return to the boil and cook for 12–14 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons oil into a medium saucepan, add the garlic and place over a low heat. Heat the garlic very gently for a few seconds, until softened but not coloured, stirring constantly. (Do not allow to burn, or it could make the sauce bitter.)
Pour the passata into the saucepan with the garlic and stir in the oregano and basil. Season with a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little salt and black pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta in a colander and return to the saucepan. Pour over the tomato and basil sauce and toss well together. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish – it will need to hold around 2 litres/3½ pints. Scatter the roasted vegetables on top.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese and pine nuts, if using. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, the sauce is bubbling and the pine nuts are lightly browned. Serve with a fresh mixed salad, sprinkled with a few fresh basil leaves, if you like.
Recipe tips
Try adding cooked chicken pieces, flaked tinned tuna or prawns to the pasta after stirring through the sauce.
Passata is usually sold in bottles or cartons, and you should find it with the tinned tomatoes in the supermarket. It’s ideal for recipes like this, as the smooth texture is perfect for simple sauces.
You can use this tomato and basil sauce in place of the jarred kind for any of your favourite pasta recipes.
To make the sauce a little spicy, add a generous pinch of dried chilli flakes. Depending on the richness of your passata, you may need to add ½ teaspoon sugar to the sauce to round-off the flavour.
You don’t need to cut the vegetables to exactly the sizes given, but keep close if you can. If they vary too much, you’ll need to adjust the cooking times.
You can use any cooked vegetables you like – even leftover vegetables from another meal would work.
The best way to shred basil leaves is to stack the leaves in a pile, then roll up together before slicing thinly.
Leftover pasta bake can be kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a microwave for best results.
