This easy and delicious vegan pasta bake by Jamie Oliver is a creamy and comforting dish perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Made with simple ingredients like pasta, broccoli, and vegan cheese, it’s a nutritious, hot, and satisfying meal everyone will love. Customize it with whatever veggies or pasta you have on hand!
Ingredients Needed
- 1 large leek
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 head of broccoli (375g / 13 oz)
- Olive oil
- ½ a bunch of fresh thyme (15g / 0.5 oz)
- 3 tablespoons plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 litre (4 cups) unsweetened oat milk
- 500g (1lb) dried pasta (e.g., rigatoni, macaroni, or penne)
- 50g (1.75 oz ) sourdough bread
- 150g (5.3 oz) vegan Cheddar-style cheese
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 200g (7 oz) baby spinach
How To Make Vegan Pasta Bake
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.
- Prepare the vegetables: Trim, halve, and wash the leek. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then slice the broccoli stalks (reserve the florets for later, cutting any large ones in half).
- Cook the leek and broccoli stalk: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, shallow ovenproof casserole pan over medium heat. Add the sliced broccoli stalk and most of the thyme leaves (reserve a few sprigs for later). Cook for 15 minutes or until softened, stirring regularly.
- Make the sauce: Stir in the flour, then gradually add the oat milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Cook the pasta: In a separate pan, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- 6. Prepare the breadcrumbs: Blend the sourdough bread with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the remaining thyme leaves into fine breadcrumbs. Stir in ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
- Add the cheese and spinach: Grate the vegan Cheddar-style cheese into the sauce, then blend the sauce with spinach and the remaining ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast until smooth. You can do this in batches if needed or use a stick blender. Add oat milk to adjust consistency if necessary.
- Season and combine: Taste and season the sauce with sea salt and black pepper. Stir the cooked pasta and broccoli florets into the sauce, ensuring everything is evenly mixed.
- Assemble and bake: Scatter the prepared breadcrumbs over the pasta bake and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Recipe Tips
- Use any pasta: You can use any pasta shape you like, but make sure to cook it slightly underdone (about 5 minutes) since it will cook more in the oven.
- Adjust sauce thickness: If your sauce is too thick after blending, add a little more oat milk to get a creamy consistency.
- Crispy breadcrumbs: For extra crispy breadcrumbs, toast them in a pan with a little olive oil before sprinkling them over the pasta bake.
- Add extra veggies: Feel free to add extra vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, or peas to make the dish even more hearty and nutritious.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: Let the leftover vegan pasta bake cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover it tightly and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Allow the baked pasta to cool completely before freezing. Store it in an airtight container or freezer-safe dish for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Cover the pasta bake with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the top.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 1 bowl)
- Calories: 571
- Total Fat: 16.6g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9g
- Total Carbohydrate: 93.7g
- Dietary Fiber: 7.4g
- Sugars: 9.7g
- Protein: 15.9g
Try More Jamie Oliver Recipes:
- Jamie Oliver Beetroot And Ricotta Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Steak Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Pork Mince Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Greek Cypriot Pasta
Jamie Olive Vegan Pasta Bake
Description
This easy and delicious vegan pasta bake by Jamie Oliver is a creamy and comforting dish perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Made with simple ingredients like pasta, broccoli, and vegan cheese, it’s a nutritious, hot, and satisfying meal everyone will love. Customize it with whatever veggies or pasta you have on hand!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.
- Prepare the vegetables: Trim, halve, and wash the leek. Peel and finely slice the garlic, then slice the broccoli stalks (reserve the florets for later, cutting any large ones in half).
- Cook the leek and broccoli stalk: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, shallow ovenproof casserole pan over medium heat. Add the sliced broccoli stalk and most of the thyme leaves (reserve a few sprigs for later). Cook for 15 minutes or until softened, stirring regularly.
- Make the sauce: Stir in the flour, then gradually add the oat milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Cook the pasta: In a separate pan, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.
- 6. Prepare the breadcrumbs: Blend the sourdough bread with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the remaining thyme leaves into fine breadcrumbs. Stir in ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
- Add the cheese and spinach: Grate the vegan Cheddar-style cheese into the sauce, then blend the sauce with spinach and the remaining ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast until smooth. You can do this in batches if needed or use a stick blender. Add oat milk to adjust consistency if necessary.
- Season and combine: Taste and season the sauce with sea salt and black pepper. Stir the cooked pasta and broccoli florets into the sauce, ensuring everything is evenly mixed.
- Assemble and bake: Scatter the prepared breadcrumbs over the pasta bake and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Notes
- Use any pasta: You can use any pasta shape you like, but make sure to cook it slightly underdone (about 5 minutes) since it will cook more in the oven.
- Adjust sauce thickness: If your sauce is too thick after blending, add a little more oat milk to get a creamy consistency.
- Crispy breadcrumbs: For extra crispy breadcrumbs, toast them in a pan with a little olive oil before sprinkling them over the pasta bake.
- Add extra veggies: Feel free to add extra vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, or peas to make the dish even more hearty and nutritious.
Jamie Olive Vegan Pasta Bake