2009 Week 2: Seasonal Vege Pasta Bake
Seasonal Vege Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tsp oil
1 carrot, grated
1/2 capsicum, diced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 cup vegetable (or other) stock
1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 heaped Tbsp tomato paste
1 and a 1/2 Tbsp pesto
2 heaped Tbsp red lentils
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dry macaroni or penne pasta
For the sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp plain flour
2 cups low-fat milk
100g grated cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
Optional - 185gm tin of tuna in water (drained)
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a medium pan or frying pan and briefly
sauté the onion, garlic, celery and grated carrot for
approximately one minute.
Mix in the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire
sauce, pesto and lentils and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until
the lentils are beginning to swell and become tender (they'll
continue cooking in the oven) and the sauce is thickened. After 15
minutes of simmering, add the capsicum and tuna (if using).
While the vegetable sauce is cooking, preheat the oven to
200ýC.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to
packet directions.
Prepare the white sauce for the topping: Heat the oil in a
saucepan, then use a whisk to mix the flour into the oil. Gradually
whisk in the milk, adding it a little at a time, whisking well
after each addition to ensure a lump-free sauce. When all the milk
has been added, use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce over a gentle
heat until it thickens. Stir using circular and figure of eight
motions so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, and
don't let it boil. Stir in the cayenne pepper, mustard powder
and half of the cheese and stir until melted. When thick
enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon, season lightly with
salt and pepper then set aside.
To assemble the dish, place the well-drained, cooked pasta into the
bottom of a heatproof casserole or serving dish. Spoon over the
vegetable sauce and then spoon the white sauce on top. Sprinkle
with the remaining grated cheese and bake for 20 minutes, or until
piping hot and golden on top.
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