Home
Recipes
Vegetable pasta bake

Vegetable pasta bake in a baking dish

Vegetable pasta bake

Name: Vegetable pasta bake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 300g dried penne pasta; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 large aubergine chopped; 1 red onion finely chopped; 2 peppers deseeded and finely sliced; 2 courgettes chopped; 3 garlic cloves crushed; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 400g can cherry tomatoes; small bunch of basil leaves picked and stems finely chopped; 25g vegetarian hard cheese grated; 25g grated mozzarella; 75g mature cheddar grated; 20g panko breadcrumbs

Ailsa Burt

Save recipe

Serves 4 - 6

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 30 mins

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.29 ratingsRate

loading...

Get the maximum flavour out of all the veg in our pasta bake by pan-frying it first. You can also freeze this for up to three months to enjoy on busier days

Egg-free

Low calorie

Low sugar

Nut-free

Vegetarian

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Courgette fries

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.8 ratings

Cowboy pie

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.58 ratings

Gluten-free white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake

A star rating of 3.8 out of 5.5 ratings

Ailsa's tips for the perfect vegetable pasta bake:

For the crispiest topping after baking, I like to combine the cheese with a handful of panko breadcrumbs and seasoning. You could also add in some mixed seeds for extra crunch or dried herbs such as oregano for a flavour boost.
I’ve chosen to add in red onions, peppers, courgettes and aubergines to this bake, but you could customise this with any leftover veg you have in the fridge - mushrooms, peas and green beans would also work well.
This dish is perfect for making ahead - simply assemble the pasta bake and chill overnight in the fridge. Cook on the same temperature but add an extra 10-20 mins until piping hot and bubbling.
Don't overcook the pasta when boiling it. I drain it while it's still slightly firm, as it will continue to cook in the oven and stay perfectly al dente rather than becoming soft. Remember to reserve 2 tbsp of pasta water - adding this to the vegetables is an easy way to create a sauce as the starch in the water acts as a binder.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

300g dried penne pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large aubergine

chopped
1 red onion

finely chopped
2 peppers

deseeded and finely sliced
2 courgettes

chopped
3 garlic cloves

crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g can cherry tomatoes
small bunch of basil

leaves picked and stems finely chopped
25g vegetarian hard cheese

grated
25g grated mozzarella
75g mature cheddar

grated
20g panko breadcrumbs

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal409
fat14g
saturates5g
carbs52g
sugars10g

low
fibre8g

high
protein16g
salt0.41g

low

Method

step 1

Cook the pasta following pack instructions, reserving a mugful of the pasta water and draining it 2 mins before the stated time. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a deep, non-stick pan over a low-medium heat, then tip in the aubergine. Stir well to coat in the oil, frying until softened and deeply golden all over, around 10-15 mins. Remove to a bowl and pour the remaining oil into the pan. Once hot, tip in the onion with a pinch of salt and fry for 5-7 mins until just softened before stirring in the peppers and courgettes. Cook for a further 15-17 mins until lightly browned then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Stir in the tomato purée and allow it to caramelise for 5 mins. Pour in the cooked aubergine, tomatoes, basil stems and half of the basil leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to bubble away for 20-25 mins, then season to taste.
step 2

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix in the cooked pasta along with a generous splash of the cooking water. Season the mixture well to taste and tip into a baking dish. Combine the cheeses with the panko and a large pinch of black pepper, then scatter this over the pasta. Will keep frozen, well covered, for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly before cooking, or cook from frozen covered in foil for 40 mins, then uncovered for a further 20 mins until piping hot throughout. If cooking straightaway, bake for 15-20 mins until bubbling and golden on top. Scatter over the remaining basil leaves to serve.

Ailsa Burt

As Food Editor and Test Kitchen Manager, Ailsa loves experimenting with new flavour combinations with the ethos that cooking should be fun and doesn’t have to be complicated. A trained chef; she previously worked in restaurants before moving into food writing. She’s worked for Sainsbury’s magazine, Good Housekeeping and a meal kit company in Canada, specialising in recipe development and food styling. Discover more of Ailsa's recipes

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.29 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now