Hello there! So I am still making my way through my favourite lunch/ dinner recipes that I have been developing, to upload them here on my website! As you’ve probably noticed, I originally started this site documenting my breads, cakes and breakfast recipes and now I want to share more of a variety of recipes with you all! You can find these on my recipes page.
I am sharing today my favourite pasta bake recipe that is suitable for vegetarians. If you happen to be vegan, you can always switch the mozzarella cheese for a vegan cheese. I love this recipe because it is filling, nourishing and provides a great balance of carbs, protein, fats and veggies. My inspiration for this dish came from my Mum, who used to make and bake the biggest pasta bakes (as I come from quite a big family), and she’d just pack in so much goodness!
The pasta I have chosen to do this with is naturally high in protein (you can also choose different pastas to suit your preference for this dish) and I have added black beans for some plant based protein, broccoli as it is my favourite vegetable, and cheese because, well it’s delicious AND a great source of calcium!
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 250g of red lentil and brown rice pasta
- 60g of Italian mozzarella
- 200g of black beans (I buy the tins of black beans in water)
- 100g tinned chickpeas
- 200g tomato and basil pasta sauce
- 160g of broccoli
- 160g green peas
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. You will need a large dish to hold the pasta that is appropriate to put in the oven.
- Boil the pasta for 6-7 minutes and stir often to prevent it from burning or sticking at the bottom.
- Whilst the pasta is boiling, you can cut the mozzarella into small slices and set aside.
- You can then cut the broccoli into smaller florets and boil with the peas for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water. Pour the pasta into your pasta dish and stir in the tomato sauce.
- Drain the black beans and rinse with water. Do the same with the chickpeas. Then add these to the pasta dish. Add the boiled broccoli and peas and add in the prepared mozzarella.
- Bake the dish in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This can depend on how crispy you want the top of the pasta (I like mine crispy). Remove the dish from the oven and serve up instantly. You can also save this and take it to work the next day… Allow it cool and keep in an airtight container (store in fridge until ready to eat).
- Enjoy!
Keep up to date with my latest lunch and dinner recipes by following my instagram page.
SaveSave
