Vegetable Pasta Bake

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

400 g (14 oz) dried pasta shapes (I used rigatoni)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large red onion (peeled and chopped into wedges)

1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and chopped into large chunks)

1 yellow bell pepper (de-seeded and chopped into large chunks)

1 large or 2 small courgette (zucchini chopped into chunks)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

1 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried thyme

2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes

120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream

100 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach

100 g (1 cup) strong cheddar cheese (grated)

100 g (1 cup) mozzarella (grated)

small bunch parsley (roughly torn)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan). Boil a large pan of water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than recommended on the pack. Drain.

Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil on a medium heat, in a large frying pan. Add the red onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Add the chopped peppers, courgette, salt, pepper, garlic, tomato puree, oregano, and thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the tinned tomatoes and cream, bring to a gentle bubble, then add the pasta and spinach. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish.

Top with the cheddar and mozzarella, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

Take out of the oven and top with parsley before serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 539 kcal
• Total Fat: 22 g
• Saturated Fat: 13 g
• Cholesterol: 62 mg
• Sodium: 534 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 67 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 11 g
• Protein: 22 g