Easy Cheesy Tomato Rotini Pasta Bake

This easy to make cheesy tomato rotini pasta bake is prepared with freshly made marinara sauce. The combination of flavors in this veggie pasta is amazing!

This was a recipe that I just had to try! Yes, I love everything and anything to do with pasta which makes its appearance in my kitchen once every week without fail. Every week its a different recipe, mind you. I love experimenting with not just the sauces but also the kind of pasta I use. A visit to a grocery store is like a visit to a candy shop. There are so many new things on these shelves that are dying to be picked up and tried that I always land up getting home something totally unplanned and then figuring out how to use it . That is why I prefer doing these grocery trips myself and rely on KR only for emergency shopping. This gives me ample time to explore the store and see what all is new. I am positive that the cashier would think I am crazy to have a random items in my cart and wonder what am I cooking with these! Once, a lady at the cashier looked at a bag filled with chillies in my cart and was aghast! 

She asked me what in the world am I going to do with so many chillies? Before I could respond, KR responded that I am a food blogger and that he had stopped asking this same question as he finally understood how it works. The lady smiled as if she understood what he meant and then seemed to approve of my choices in the cart and even wished me luck. Anyways, coming back to the topic of pasta, I enjoy my lone time in the pasta aisle where I explore new and different kinds of pasta and bring home a new kind every time. This time I picked up the Veggie Barilla Pasta and was looking forward to try a new recipe with it in the coming week. I had seen many pasta bake recipes on Pinterest and had been wanting to make one for myself. Easy Cheesy Tomato Rotini Pasta Bake is one of those dinners that even the kids will polish off in no time – regardless of how many veggies you sneak in there. Bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, sweet potato – it all gets thrown in.

The recipe to prepare Easy Cheesy Tomato Rotini Pasta Bake is very easy. First we need to cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Strain and keep it aside for now. Now its time to prepare the marinara sauce, Heat olive oil in a pan and fry minced garlic till it turns golden brown. Next add chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent. Then add whatever veggies you have. I added green peas and salt. Continue to saute for 2 minutes. Make a puree of tomatoes and ginger and add it to the pan along with crushed pepper. Mix and bring it to a boil. The sauce would have thickened by now. Then add the cooked pasta to the pan along with Parmesan cheese. Mix to coat the pasta with the sauce. After a minute take it off the flame. Grease a pie dish with cooking spray. Transfer the prepared pasta to the dish. Spread it evenly and top it with mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place this dish in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or till the cheese melts. 

Easy Cheesy Tomato Rotini Pasta Bake is now ready. Take it out of the oven carefully. Allow it to cool a bit and then serve. Tone down the cheese if you watching your weight else splurge. This pasta is packed with so many fresh flavors. It would be perfect with a slice of buttery, toasted garlic bread. Yum! I thoroughly enjoyed this baked pasta as it was different from the others that I have made plus its more cheesy and lip smacking meal. I also loved this recipe since it was frugal and very simple to make. Remember, this is as simple and delicious as you choose to make it. It all depends on your mood. You could make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and even try this with any other sauce like Pesto or Alfredo. To make it vegan, you need to use vegan cheese, rest of the recipe remains the same.

If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg — I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

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Vegan Cilantro Basil Cream Sauce Pasta, One Pot Indian Curry Pasta, Hummus & Sweet Potato Alfredo Sauce Pasta, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, Garlic & Breadcrumbs Pasta Salad, Habanero Basil Mango Pasta, Avocado Pesto Barilla Pasta , Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce & Bow-tie Pasta, Sriracha Peanuts Pasta, Edamame & Mushroom Pasta Salad and Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Veggies are some other pasta based recipes that you can try for dinner!