A delicious mushroom, tomato & pepper sauce turn this cheese-topped veggie sausage pasta bake into a fabulous one-dish dinner. Tuck in!
My friends just had a baby! Squeals of excitement all round! It’s their third, and their first boy. His two big sisters (and parents) are suitably thrilled.
It seemed only right, after all the effort they’d gone to to bring the little man into the world, that someone should cook them dinner. My daughter Kipper and I set to and whipped up this sausage pasta bake. We then delivered it in good time for them to stick it in the oven and tuck in come dinnertime.
In the event, our meals-on-wheels service, which should have been a quick drop off, turned into a longer visit. Kipper played with the big sisters, and I got to cuddle the baby. This veggie sausage pasta bake is packed with nutritious goodies that should help New Mum make lots of lovely Mummy Milk. (We took some Yummy Mummy bars too, of course.)
This veggie sausage pasta bake recipe is a fun way to use vegetarian sausages in a slightly different way from usual – which in our house is either toad in the hole, or with mash & gravy. I also love that you can prepare it in advance, as we did here. Our friends we able to simply stick it in the oven when they were ready.
I really like the combination of peppers, mushrooms, and veggie sausages. However I’m sure you can substitute whatever vegetables you have handy. You also have the time-saving option of simply serving up the veggie sausages, pasta and sauce, rather than mixing them together and baking. You don’t get the lovely golden cheesy top, but you do save 20 minutes.
This amount serves 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 small people. (You can just add more pasta to the same amount of sauce if you need to stretch it to serve 4 adults.)
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Veggie sausage, mushroom and pepper pasta bake
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 100 g button mushrooms (approx. 3½ oz)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red (bell) pepper
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes (approx. 14 oz)
- 6-8 vegetarian sausages
- 200 g pasta (approx. 7 oz)
- 150 g grated cheese (approx. 1½ cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Peel and chop the onion. Cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until starting to soften.
- Deseed and slice the pepper. Add to the pan and stir well. Stir in the chopped tomatoes. Partly cover the pan and simmer for around 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fry the vegetarian sausages according to the packet directions. Diagonally slice each cooked sausage into 5 or 6 pieces and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the packet. Drain.
- Combine the drained pasta, sliced sausages and vegetable and tomato sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and top with the grated cheese.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for around 20 minutes, until the dish is piping hot and the top is golden and bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious family-friendly pasta bakes include delicious broccoli, leek and cheese pasta bake, cheesy parsnip pasta bake, and fabulous fish pie pasta bake – two favourites in one!
The theme for this month’s Family Foodies event (hosted by Eat Your Veg and Bangers & Mash) is Cheap and Cheerful into which category I think this bright and tasty dish falls. Hence, I am putting it forward for the challenge!
Vanesther
I do love a good pasta bake and this looks like a very good one indeed. What a lovely dish to take over to your friends, who I’m sure would have been grateful for this lovely dish. A great entry for Family Foodies – thanks for sharing.