Baked Vegetable Pasta Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This Baked Vegetable Pasta is vegetarian baked penne recipe with roasted vegetables. I now bake a whole batch of it and refrigerate to pack for school lunch for the boys.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

1 5

Course: dinner, Pasta

Cuisine: European, Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: People

Calories: 473kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

pan
spatula
Oven

Ingredients

1 lb. Whole wheat Penne pasta Or any large pasta variety
3 cups Marinara sauce Homemade or store-bought
1 small Bell pepper Diced
1 Onion Diced
2 cloves Garlic Minced finely
2 cups Broccoli Florets only
4 oz. Cream cheese
¾ cup Mozzarella cheese Or any blend of your choice
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Crushed red pepper
2 tablespoon Olive oil
to taste Salt

Instructions

In a large pot, boil enough water and cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and keep it aside. I would reserve about a cup of pasta water to use later.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Now add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the bell pepper, broccoli, and crushed red peppers and cook until the vegetables are softened.
Now add the marinara sauce and let it heat up. Also, add about ½ cup of reserved pasta water and let it come to a simmer. Break the cream cheese into small pieces and add them to the simmering sauce. Let it dissolve and then simmer the sauce for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce mixture and stir well to coat. At this point, if the sauce appears too thick, add a little bit more of the reserved pasta water.
Transfer the pasta to a greased 9 x 13 pan and spread it evenly. Top with the grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
Serve the baked vegetable pasta hot!

Nutrition