Vegetarian meal – Feasting Is Fun

Hi, is everyone fed up with the clouds? Yep, me too. Although I love Autumn, it’s endless days of rain, with no blue sky occasionally peeking through can be disheartening. And in all honesty, it makes me want to snuggle up with a good film and a big bowl of this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake.

So, this dish came about because I was too lazy to get any meat out of the freezer! Because our freezer is in our garage, with no internal interconnecting door and it was raining. Are you convinced?! Anyway enough of my laziness, what resulted was an incredibly tasty dish.

Serving the vegetarian pasta bake. — Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

While we are a meat eating family, I do make a little meat go a long way. However, it is very rare that I deliberately leave meat or fish out of a dish. Big mistake! Because no one in our family, or my chief taste tester, missed the meat in this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake. In fact they enjoyed a meat free meal.

I was so pleased. Firstly, I had created a great meal that everyone enjoyed – always my main aim. Secondly, I now have a great vegetarian dish in my repertoire. Also, I love to serve this with Focaccia Bread.

Complete untouched vegetarian pasta bake. — Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

Since meat is usually the most expensive component in a meal, without compromising flavour, this is a fantastic, meat free, budget friendly dish. Perfect for a mid week meal. In fact why not double up on the ingredients and make this for a new mum, family or friends returning from holiday, or simply to freeze for up to 3 months. Because this is meat free, more people can enjoy this dish.

Recipe : Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake Serves 6 people generously

1tbsp Olive Oil – I use Filippo Berio

1 x Leek

1 x Celery Stick finely diced

2 x Large Carrots finely diced

6-8 Mushrooms White Button or Chestnut sliced thinly

3 Cloves of Garlic – crushed

4 x 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes

1/4tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1tsp Dried Mixed Herbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

500g/1lb Dried Pasta – I used Penne

Cheese Sauce see Bacon Cheese Pasta Bake – Cheese Sauce

50g/2oz Finely Grated Cheese for topping – I use Wyke Farms mature cheddar (both in the sauce and to top)

Note : If making this dish for vegetarians, ensure you use vegetarian cheese.

Method : Making The Pasta Bake

First of all, cut the very dark green top and root from the leek. Slice the leek in half, lengthways and rinse thoroughly under a cold running tap. This ensures any sand or dirt trapped between the layers in the leek is washed away. Pat the leek dry with a clean cloth. Slice the leeks into 1/2 inch dice.

Pour the oil into a pan and heat up over a medium heat. Add the leeks to the pan.

Add the rest of the chopped vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the tinned tomatoes.

Add the nutmeg and dried herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook with a lid almost covering for 1 1/2 hours.

While the vegetable sauce is cooking make the Cheese Sauce.

As soon as the vegetable sauce has cooked remove from the heat.

Cook your chosen pasta according to the package instructions, less 3 minutes.

Drain the pasta and tip into the vegetable sauce. Mix the pasta and vegetable sauce together.

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake, pour the pasta/vegetable mix into a baking dish. — Pour the pasta/vegetable mix into a baking dish.

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake, smother in cheese sauce and finish with a sprinkling of finely grated cheese.

You can bake the pasta dish in a medium oven, 180C/160C fan immediately, for 1hour, until golden and bubbling.

Alternatively, cover the cooled Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake in cling film and refridgerate for up to 3 days. If freezing, cool, wrap the entire dish in cling film and then aluminium foil.

Versatile Vegetarian Meals

You can switch up the veggies to whatever you have on hand. In fact this dish is a great way to use up small amounts of vegetables sitting in the fridge, before your next grocery shop!

Perfect served just as it is, or you can stretch it further by serving with some crusty bread and salad. Either way this Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake is sure to become a favourite in your home.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake you may also like these:

Roasted Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

FF Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake — Roasted Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

Baked Cheese Olive Ciabatta Bread

Walnut Pastry Crust Leek Stilton Tart

Since this recipe is meat free it can be shared by more people. And it’s ideal for pot luck church meals. Because it is so versatile, allowing you to substitute whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, or even in the garden, it’s budget friendly too. Also to make the dish stretch further, serve with salad and some homemade Tomato Thyme Garlic Focaccia Bread. Delicious, nutritious and easy on the pocket, this vegetarian recipe ticks all the boxes.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Hello and thanks for popping by. Autumn is most definitely here and with it the very changeable weather. While one minute there are blue skies and warming sunshine only to vanish, in a flash of lightening, to deep grey clouds, swirling winds and cold, drenching rain. In fact, autumnal weather has all the consistency of a teenager’s mood swings! Yet, one thing that is guareented to brighten the dreariest day is this vibrant orange, Carrot Soup by my very talented and beautiful friend Liz.

Pinterest sized image of carrot soup with descriptive graphics. — Carrot Soup with a hint of ginger.

Liz and I ‘met’ over on Twitter. Because we are both newbies to the blogging and Tweeting world, I guess we found a kindred spirit in each other. While Liz no longer blogs on her site Teta Lizza, she can be found on Instagram as @teta_lizza. Rather than blogging on her site, she now shares plant based recipes on her Instagram account.

Carrot Soup with some crumbled Stilton cheese.

I will be forever thankful to Liz for allowing me to create and post this Carrot Soup. While the subtle hint of ginger gently warms you through as you consume this delicious soup. Also the beautiful sweetness of the carrots contrasts with the sharp, salty, Stilton, crumbled into the middle. Alternatively, Liz uses Parsley to garnish her soup and that too would be delicious, as would a swirl of cream, dollop of creme fraiche…. the garnishing possibilities are endless. And it’s important to mention that without garnish, this soup is entirely delicious on it’s own. Especially if it is accompanied by nothing more than a good, thick, slice of bread, for dunking and mopping!

Recipe : Serves four portions of Carrot Soup

1tbsp Olive Oil – I use Filippo Berio

1 Medium Onion diced

450g/1lb Carrots – peeled and medium diced

1 Large Potato – baking sized, peeled and medium diced

1tsp Fresh Grated Ginger

1 litre/Approx 2pints Water

1 Vegetable Stock Cube – if not making vegetarian version, a chicken stock cube is fine

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to season

Stilton Cheese to garnish – optional

Method :

Making The Soup

First of all, pour the Olive Oil into a heavy based pan, over a medium heat.
Add the diced onions and a small sprinkle (1/4tsp) of salt.
Sauté the onions until soft and translucent – adding the salt will help stop them browning.

Add the carrots and potatoes to the softened onions.

Stir the vegetables over a medium/low heat for a minute.

Grate 1tsp of fresh ginger and add to the pan.

Add the freshly grated ginger to the saucepan.

Add the water and stock cube to the vegetables.

Finally pour the water over the vegetables.
Add a good grinding of black pepper.
I wouldn’t add any additional salt at this stage as the stock cube contains salt.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow the soup, covered with a lid, to simmer for half an hour.
As soon as the soup has finished cooking move the pan off of the heat.

Purée the soup using a hand blender. Alternatively, cool the soup and purée in a blender.

Carrot Soup have a final taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Finally serve the Carrot Soup ladled into warmed bowls and garnished with some crumbled Stilton Cheese (unless you are making the soup for vegans) and thick slices of homemade bread.

This Carrot Soup warms you right through. Also it is perfect for lunch after a long walk, admiring the changing colours of the season and kicking through the fallen leaves.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Carrot Soup you may also like these:

Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup

Warming Winter Vegetable Soup

Winter Warming Vegetable Soup served in a bowl — Winter Warming Vegetable Soup – also vegan

Creamy Low Fat Mushroom Soup

I am such a fan of soup. While it can be a quick, warming, light lunch, it can also serve as a substantial meal. Adding tasty, rustic, homemade bread such as my Crunchy Seeded Bread and also some tasty cheese, turns this simple bowl into a heart warming feast. And it’s easy to double up on ingredients if you are feeding a crowd.

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie x

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.