If you’re family is anything like mine, getting them to eat more vegetables can be a challenge. Cue this hidden veggie pasta – a creamy dreamy dish that sneaks in five nutrient-rich vegetables into a silky-smooth sauce without anyone suspecting a thing.
As with all my recipes, it’s endlessly adaptable: swap in your favourite veggies and adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. The best part? You simply toss everything onto a baking tray and let the oven do the heavy lifting. No oven? No problem – just roast the veggies on the stovetop until they’re soft and caramelised to perfection.
Steps To Make This Hidden Veggie Pasta
Step 1: Cook Your Pasta
Boil your favorite pasta until al dente. Make sure to reserve some of the pasta water before draining—it will come in handy later.
Step 2: Prep the Veggies for Roasting
Preheat the oven to 185°C. In a large baking dish or tray, toss together:
- Sliced red bell pepper
- Quartered tomatoes
- Chopped carrots
- Sliced zucchini
- Quartered onion
- A head of garlic, with the top sliced off
Feel free to switch up the veggies. Pumpkin or butternut squash make great additions too! Drizzle everything with olive oil, season with black pepper and salt, and mix until the veggies are well-coated.
Step 3: Roast Until Perfectly Caramelized
Place the tray in the oven and roast until the veggies are tender and caramelized to perfection.
Step 4: Blend the Creamy Sauce
Add the roasted to a blender along with the roasted garlic cloves (squeezed out from the bulb), feta (or paneer/cottage cheese/ricotta), and a bit of tomato paste. Season with herbs and chili flakes for a little kick. Pour in some cream (or coconut cream) and a splash of the pasta water. Blend until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.
Step 5: Assemble & Serve
Heat the sauce gently in a pan and toss in the cooked pasta. Stir until everything is coated in the rich, creamy sauce. Garnish with fresh basil and DIVE IN! This hearty flavour-packed hidden veggie pasta is ready to nourish your soul.
Hidden Veggie Pasta
Ingredients
- pasta of choice
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 tomatoes (quartered)
- 1-2 carrots (chopped)
- 1 zucchini (sliced)
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 1 head of garlic (sliced gently at the top)
- ½-¾ block feta (or paneer/ cottage cheese)
- 1-2 tbsp tomato paste
- Seasonings of choice (I’ve added mixed herbs and chilli flakes for spice)
- ¼-½ cup cream or coconut cream
Instructions
- Cook your pasta of choice, reserving the cooking water before draining.
- Preheat the oven to 185C.
- To a large baking dish, tray add the bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, carrots, zucchini, head of garlic. Feel free to swap in your favourite veggies or add more to the mix (pumpkin/ butternut squash would work well here too!)
- Drizzle with olive oil, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Toss well with your hands until evenly coated.
- Pop the tray to bake for 30 minutes or so, until roasted to a caramelised perfection.
- To a blender: add roasted veggies, caramelised garlic cloves (gently squeeze them from the bulb), feta, tomato paste, seasonings, cream and a splash of pasta cooking water.
- Blitz until smooth and creamy.
- Gently heat the sauce. Toss in your pasta, mixing well.
- Serve with fresh basil and crumbled feta and DIVE IN!
Video
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