This scrumptious Mediterranean pasta bake combines the flavor-melding magic of casseroles with the convenience of pasta, and it requires just 20 minutes of active prep time. The quick blender sauce tastes fresher than anything out of a jar, and it comes together in a jiffy. There’s no need to turn on the stovetop with this recipe—throw the dried pasta, sauce, mushrooms, and eggplant into a baking dish with some water, then cover with foil and bake. Be sure to seal the foil tightly around the edges so the pasta cooks fully and the casserole stays saucy. This hunger-busting pasta bake tastes great with a garden salad and a chunk of whole grain bread.
Tips
Cashews: Soak cashews in enough very hot water to cover for 15 minutes; drain and rinse.
Gluten-free version: To make this gluten-free, simply opt for a gluten-free variety of whole grain pasta.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
- Vegan Pastitsio with Lentils (Greek Lasagna)
- Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Kale (new recipe, add link)
- Sweet Potato Lasagna
By Laura Marzen, RD, LD ,
Ingredients
- 1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked (see tip, recipe intro)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz. dried whole grain rotini or penne pasta
- 1 9- to 10-oz. eggplant, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 8 oz. sliced fresh cremini or button mushrooms
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- For sauce, in a blender combine the first 10 ingredients (through black pepper). Cover and blend until very smooth, scraping sides as needed.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a very large bowl combine sauce with 2½ cups water. Add pasta, eggplant, and mushrooms; stir until well combined, making sure all pasta is coated with sauce. Spoon pasta mixture into a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, spreading evenly. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until pasta is tender. Carefully loosen foil and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle servings with basil (if using).
Has anyone used 16 oz’s of pasta (normal package size where I live)? If so, did you make adjustments to the other ingredients? Did you add 1/3 more water or increase sauce quantity? Thanks in advance
Yes! I use a 16 oz package of pasta and upped the spices and the water a little. I did not bother adding more veggies or cashews.
This is an excellent recipe. I used a mandolin to slice the eggplant super thin after I peeled it. It was an easy recipe to make and kept well in the fridge until we ate it later in the week. I will be making it again.
I also would like to be able to add this to my FOK meal planner. Is there a way for me to do that?
I wish this worked! I threw it out. I used jovial brown rice pasta. Do nut use. It was gross. Sauce is decent. Eggplant was gross too.
A very nice recipe, I am from Europe and must convert Farenheit, Oz and Inches to Celsius and metric system. I am vegan since 2015 and eat a lot fron Forks over knives recipes. I liked this a lot.
Easy and tasty! Next time I make it, I’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes before baking and a dash of balsamic vinegar just before serving.
Wow! Made this for the first time and it was easy and delicious! Next time I will leave the eggplant peel on and stir the casserole halfway through as I thought the pasta kinda stuck to the bottom in the middle of the pan. Don’t skip the basil on top either. Perfection!
Is there a way to add this recipe to your favourites in the meal plan? Also, the print button is not working when I enter my email, is there a way to download the recipe for later?
Nikki, mine didn’t work either to print until I shut off the VPN and adblocker
Very interesting and delicious recipe. This brought me back to eggplant, as I only know preparing it with lots of olive oil. Softening it by cooking in liquid worked quite well. I kept the peel on, because, hey, it’s wholefoods, and it contains anthocyanin.