Vegetable Pasta Bake
Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes
1 ½ serves per portion
Recipe courtesy of Suzie van Laarhoven, Country Kitchens team
Ingredients:
- 6 cups assorted vegetables, 1-2cm dice (e.g. pumpkin, carrot, eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and mushroom)
- 1 brown onion, chopped into crescents
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
- Black pepper, to taste
- 300g wholemeal pasta (penne or spirals)
- 500g ricotta
- 150mL light evaporated milk
- 500mL tomato passata
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, reduced fat, grated
Method:
- PREHEAT oven to 200°C.
- ADD vegetables, onion and garlic to a large baking tray and toss with olive oil, stock powder and pepper.
- BAKE vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
- BOIL a large saucepan of water and cook pasta according to packet directions.
- WHISK ricotta and evaporated milk together in a bowl.
- TRANSFER vegetables to a roasting/baking dish and mix in the passata.
- POUR the ricotta mixture over vegetables and top with grated cheese.
- BAKE in oven until top is browned and bubbling, up to 20 minutes.
- REST for 10-15 minutes before serving with a crisp salad.
What's Great About It:
This easy and versatile dish is packed with vegetables and nutrients. Substitute the vegetables for whatever you have in the fridge or pantry, such as cauliflower, broccoli or sweet potato. This recipe also works great if you have leftover roasted vegetables already on hand. If you don’t have cheddar, try using any strong flavoured cheese such as parmesan. Alternatively, for a milder flavour, try gruyere, jarlsberg or mozzarella.
