American Food Recipes

Ingredients Vegetable Pasta Bake recipe

1 red pepper, seeds removed, cut into bite-size chunks

1 yellow pepper, seeds removed, cut into bite-size chunks

1 aubergine, finely chopped

1 courgette, finely chopped

1 red onion, sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

150g/5½oz cherry tomatoes, halved

400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp roughly chopped basil

300g/10½oz pasta, such as gemelli or penne

150g/5½oz ball mozzarella, drained and finely chopped

2 tbsp pesto

2-3 tbsp finely grated Parmesan, or a vegetarian hard cheese alternative

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.

Put the peppers, aubergine, courgette and onion into a roasting tin or deep baking dish and coat in the oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 45 minutes, turning twice, until the vegetables are tender and golden brown.

Add the cherry tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil and cook for 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to pack instructions. Add 4–6 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the vegetables to loosen the tomato sauce.

Drain the pasta and stir into the roasted vegetables. Stir through the mozzarella and pesto, top with Parmesan and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.