One Pot Vegetarian Pasta Casserole

BM# 71: Week 1/ Day 2
Theme: One Pot Dishes
Dish: One Pot Vegetarian Pasta Casserole

I have a filling and comforting one pot vegetarian casserole today for this week’s ‘One pot dishes‘ theme. My whole family loves pasta (though in different ways) and I am always looking for different pasta dishes. So this one pot pasta dish is my latest trial that was quite tasty and my new favorite. I was taught to cook pasta in lots and lots of boiling water. So making pasta dishes always involved 2 pots. But when I saw some one pot pasta dishes in Cooking Light magazine, I was intrigued and I bookmarked them. I didn’t get a chance to try until I picked up this theme.So there’s no need for for a big pot of boiling water to make this dish. All this recipe needs is a big skillet that is oven safe and that’s it, everything goes into the skillet, cooked and straight to the table. This one-dish recipe minimizes kitchen prep, cleanup and delivers maximum flavor.Original recipe in Cooking Light was made with beef, but I used eggplant and soy granules aka TVP instead. This casserole is a hearty and comforting dish that is perfect for this time of the year. Even my picky eater son loved this and asked for seconds. I used whole wheat pasta and this is probably one of the few recipes I really enjoyed the nutty and chewy texture wholewheat pasta lends. Regular pasta can also be used in the dish, just make sure to reduce the cooking time.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 71.

Print Recipe

One Pot Vegetarian Pasta Casserole

This One Pot Vegetarian Pasta Casserole is made entirely in one pan or skillet. It is made with lots of veggies and cheese that is baked off until golden.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Main Course, Main Dish, noodles pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 2 Servings

Author: Pavani

Ingredients

• 1 cup Shortcut Wholewheat Pasta (I used penne)
• 1 Small Onion, finely diced
• 1 Small Carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1 Medium Eggplant, diced
• ½ cup Soy granules aka TVP (optional), soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed
• 1 cup Marinara sauce (homemade or storebought)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
• ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 1½ cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat oil in a oven safe saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot and garlic; cook, stirring frequently until the veggies are tender, about 4~5 minutes.
• Stir in the eggplant and the soy granules. Cover and cook till eggplant is tender and soft, about 6~8 minutes.
• Add Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and salt.
• Stir in the vegetable stock, marinara sauce, pasta and 2tbsp basil. Bring the mixture to a boil; cook for 10~12 minutes or until the pasta is almost cooked, stirring frequently.
• Top with grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 12~15 minutes or until pasta is done. Sprinkle with remaining 1tbsp basil and serve!!