Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta

Name: Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 pound pasta (I used farfalle pasta); 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon butter (I used unsalted butter); 2 garlic cloves (chopped); 1 small red onion (chopped); 1 small zucchini squash (sliced); 1 small red pepper (chopped); 1 small yellow pepper (chopped); 1 cup sliced mushrooms [around 4 oz]; 3/4 cup broccoli florets; 10-12 grape tomatoes (halved); 1 teaspoon italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon dried basil; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes; 1 tablespoon heavy cream; salt (to taste); black pepper (to taste); 1.25 cups pasta sauce (divided); 6-8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced); 3 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese (I use vegetarian parmesan)

By Manali Singh

3.15 from 20 votes

Sep 05, 2016, Updated Jul 28, 2019

Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta - this one is for all the veggie lovers! If you love your veggies, then you need to try this!

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Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta made with RAGÚ® Homestyle Sauce. If you love your veggies, then you need to try this delicious meal!

How’s the long weekend going for everyone? We actually had some travel plans but had to cancel it at the last minute so we ended up staying home and doing nothing much really.

Other than eating a lot, of course. It is already a bit cold here, so just enjoying the chill in the air and waiting for trees to turn their color. It is always so exciting and I can’t wait to see fall colors! I would also like to take moment here and wish all my Indian readers a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Hope you all have wonderful celebration with your family and loved ones.

As soon as the weather gets cooler, I start craving for comfort food. And when it comes to comfort food, pasta is right up there. It can’t get more comforting than pasta and cheese and you throw in lots of veggies and then it becomes my favorite meal.

I was not sure what to name this recipe but since there are so many veggies in here, I just call it Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta. If you love your veggies, then this pasta is for you.

Baked pasta has always been one of my favorites especially when loaded with veggies. It really is, have a look!

Let’s see what all veggies I added in this vegetarian baked pasta!

✓ Onion

✓ Grape Tomatoes

✓ Zucchini

✓ Mushroom

✓ Broccoli

✓ Red & Yellow Pepper

That’s a lot of veggies, isn’t it? And that’s what makes this baked pasta so good. What also makes this pasta special in RAGÚ® Homestyle Sauce. I have always been someone who doesn’t like taking shortcuts in my cooking and that’s why I really like Ragu Homestyle Pasta Sauce. There are no artificial flavors, colors or shortcuts. I used Homestyle Thick and Hearty Roasted Garlic Sauce in this recipe, it’s really thick and flavorful!

I have always been a fan of Ragu Pasta Sauce and have used it in many of my recipes like this and this. Their sauces are truly one of the best that I have tried and you must visit their website to learn more about them. They have tons of recipe ideas, so don’t forget to check those out! And I hope you guys give this recipe a try. You can add other veggies if you like, or remove the ones you don’t like. Also I broiled my pasta after it was baked for few minutes. This is optional but I love the brown cheese on top and if you do too, then just broil the pasta for few minutes once it’s baked.

Method

*Boil pasta and set aside. For baked pasta, it’s better to keep the pasta little undone because it gets cooked in the oven too. I boiled pasta for 9-10 minutes rather than 11-13 minutes that was mentioned on the pasta packet. If you over-boil it, pasta will get super soft/soggy once baked.

Heat butter and oil in a pan on medium heat.

Once hot, add chopped garlic and onion. Saute for a minute.

Add broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Then add salt, black pepper, italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil and red chili flakes. Mix everything till combined.

Add in diced zucchini, sliced grape tomatoes and chopped red and yellow peppers. Cook for a minute or two till veggies soften a little.

Add a tablespoon of heavy cream and mix.

Add in the boiled pasta and 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Mix everything together and remove pan from heat.

Now take a 26 x 18 cm pan and place 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce at the bottom.

Transfer half of the pasta from the pan on top of the pasta sauce in baking dish.

Place half of fresh mozzarella cheese on top.

Then layer the remaining pasta on top of the cheese.

Finally top with 1/2 cup Ragu Pasta Sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 F degrees for 15-20 minutes or till the cheese melts. Set oven to broil. This step is optional but I like those brown bubbly cheesy spots on top. So broil the baked pasta for 3-4 minutes or till you have some time brown spots on your cheese.

Remove veggie lovers baked pasta from oven, garnish with some fresh basil and serve.

* Adjust cheese according to preference.

* Always remember to undercook the pasta because it will cook in the oven too and you don’t want the pasta to lose it’s texture. I boiled mine for 9-10 minutes only.

Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta

Veggie Lovers Baked Pasta

Method