This cozy pasta bake allows for easy prep and not too much cleaning - plus, it's very versatile! Feel free to add ground meat like beef or turkey (cook before the veggies), swap in different veggies (eggplant or some dark leafy greens for example), and scale up by following a 3:1 sauce + water to pasta ratio. Using a legume based pasta such as chickpeas or red lentils (look near the higher shelves in the pasta section of your grocery store) amps up the protein content for a filling, well-balanced meal with or without meat!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Passive Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings | servings |
Ingredients
- 1 large bell pepper red or any other color available
- 1 medium squash zucchini or yellow
- 1 medium onion
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or neutrally flavored oil of choice
- 4 tsp dried herbs oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram
- 15 oz black beans or other canned bean of choice, drained
- 16 oz pasta legume-based preferred
- 15 oz diced tomatoes or additional pasta sauce
- 24 oz pasta sauce of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 oz mozarella or other cheese; balls, chunks, or grated
- 8 oz parmesan shaved or grated
- 5 Tbsp fresh basil roughly chopped or julienned
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, then heat the oil in an oven-safe pan on the stove at medium high heat. Saute for 5 minutes, until tender and with some browning, stirring once or twice.
- Add herbs, salt, and beans, and mozarella; stir until evenly mixed. Add uncooked pasta, then sauce and canned tomatoes - fill the empty can and sauce container fully with water and add that as well, then stir together. Pasta should be able to be below the liquid.
- Cover with a lid or piece of tinfoil, then bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, add parmesan, and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Garnish with basil and serve warm.
