Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake

This creamy pesto pasta bake made with Alfredo sauce is a game changer! It's a vegetarian baked pasta loaded with veggies and a mix of cheese including burrata! Serve it for the holidays or on a weeknight. Your family and friends will love it.

Course Main Course, pasta, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings people

Calories 504.3kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

1 pan
1 baking dish

Ingredients

12 oz gluten-free pasta
2 tablespoon pine nuts
½ cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno
2 cups spinach
1 cup Alfredo white sauce
7 oz pesto
½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
2 balls burrata cheese
⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup milk optional
salt

Instructions

Cook pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Cook them al dente.
Heat olive oil to a pan, fry the pine nuts till they turn light golden.
Add the onions and jalapenos to the pan and cook till the onions turn translucent.
Now add the spinach and cook till they soften. This could take 2 minutes.
Add the pesto and white sauce. Give it a mix and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add half a cup of milk if you feel the sauce gets too dry.
Next add the seasonings - red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Mix.
Add the cooked pasta. Mix.
Then add the Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. Mix it all together. Check and add salt if needed. Take it off the flame.
Grease a baking dish with butter.
Spread the cooked creamy pesto pasta over it. Pour half a cup of milk over it if you feel the pasta looks dry.
Top it with half of the mozzarella cheese and one broken burrata cheese. Bake it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Chef Tip - There is no need to cover it but if you want, cover it with an aluminum foil before putting it in the oven.
Remove from oven and set your oven to broil. Broil the pasta for an additional 1-2 minutes or so to get the top extra golden. Take it out of the oven and serve.
Repeat the same steps again to make the second batch.

Notes

Adding a variety of cheese helps bring out the cheesy flavor. I baked it in 2 batches because of the size of my baking tray. If you have a larger tray, you can just make one batch. Add whatever veggies you have at hand. In fact, you can also add some sources of protein like edamame, chickpeas, lentils, etc. Even vegetarian meatballs are a good addition!

You can make part of the pasta recipe in advance and store it in the fridge. Add the burrata and mozzarella cheese and then bake this pesto pasta in the oven just before serving to keep the flavors fresh and warm.

Nutrition