Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 30 mins | Total: 45 mins | Quantity: 4 servings
Ingredients
drizzle of oil
1 red onion – peeled and finely diced
1 red pepper – seeds and core removed and flesh finely diced
1 courgette – roughly diced
4-5 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 + 1/2 cups (400g tin) chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
salt and pepper
3 cups (200g) dried pasta
1 pack vegan meatballs
1 cup (100g) vegan cheddar style cheese – grated weight
Optional fresh basil to serve
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180 Fan / 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large ovenproof pan (see note) then fry the chopped onion, pepper and courgette for 5 minutes over a medium heat stirring often
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute
Stir in the herbs, paprika, sugar, tomato puree, vinegar, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, pasta and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix well
Nestle in the meatballs then scatter over the grated cheese
Bake for 30-35 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the cheese is very melty and bubbly!
Serve immediately with a scatter of fresh basil leaves
Notes
If you don't have an ovenproof pan, tip the pasta and sauce into a large baking dish then nestle in the meatballs and scatter over the cheese. Bake as per the recipe
Store any cooled and chilled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat any leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave until piping hot
Recipe by The Cook & Him at https://thecookandhim.com/recipes/meatball-pasta-bake/