Baked Vegetarian Pasta

Baked vegetarian pasta is a versatile and scrumptious dish that can be customized to your liking and the ingredients you have on hand. Here’s a basic recipe that you can adapt as you prefer:

Ingredients

• 350 g of short pasta (such as rigatoni or penne)
• 700 ml of tomato puree
• 2 zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 200 g of mozzarella (or a plant-based version for a vegan dish)
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese (or a vegan substitute if necessary)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil (optional)
• Dried oregano (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash and dice the zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
3. In a large frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper to the pan and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the tomato puree to the vegetables, include basil and oregano if using, and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until it is almost al dente (subtract about 2 minutes from the cooking time indicated on the package). Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
7. Mix the pasta with the vegetable sauce and half of the diced mozzarella.
8. Pour everything into a baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and grated Parmesan.
9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the surface is golden and crispy.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

This recipe is simple but extremely tasty. Feel free to add other vegetables to your liking, such as spinach, mushrooms, or carrots. Baked vegetarian pasta is a great way to consume seasonal vegetables and can be prepared in advance, to be then reheated before serving. Enjoy your meal!