I had some leftover broccoli florets and mushrooms in the fridge I needed to use up and thought of baking them into pasta casserole. Then I thought, what if I were to chop these up super super small and HID them in a cheezy sauce? Then I would have a fantastic recipe for those who have a hard time getting their children or spouses to eat their vegetables!

So that’s why this recipe was designed and it’s not quite as indulgent as just pasta in cheezy sauce. It has some delicious veggies hiding in it too!

I like to use rotini pasta because the spirals hold onto the sauce and really grab it, plus it has a nice texture to it too. I recommend following these directions, but if you don’t have a food processor you can chop the veggies into very very small pieces instead so they don’t overwhelm the pasta. Also make sure not to use too much broccoli or you will end up with a more pungent pasta creation (as broccoli contains sulfur it can be strong smelling).

So give this healthy pasta bake a try and let me know what you think!

Vegan Broccoli Mushroom Pasta Bake

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cuo/150 grams of broccoli
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
3 large cloves of garlic
16 oz. whole wheat rotini, elbows or spirals
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Paprika to garnish
White pepper to garnish
Herbamare or salt to garnish

Cheezy Sauce:

2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup cashews
1 large clove of garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
5 tsp Genmai brown rice miso paste
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt if desired. Cook rotini or spirals for about 6 minutes just until al dente. (Do not overcook)

2. Pulse, broccoli, mushrooms, onions and garlic separately in a food processor (unless you have a very large one) until broken into tiny pieces. Add to a large wok or sauté pan and cook for 7 minutes until soft. Add a little water or vegetable broth as necessary to cook.

3. Blend cheezy sauce ingredients in a blender and taste test. Adjust seasonings if desired with more salt and pepper or smoked paprika.

4. Drain rotini and add to sauté pan and pour sauce over (or combine in a large pot if you don’t have a lot of room). Toss to coat.

5. Pour into a large casserole pan. Top with panko breadcrumbs and smoked paprika.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Additional Tips:

This recipe is best served fresh, but if you need to reheat it rebake it or else the panko bread crumbs will be mushy.

Have you ever made a plant-based baked pasta casserole before? What do you put in it?