Cheesy hidden-veg baked pasta
Creamy baked fusilli with a smooth tomato-and-veg sauce, melted cheddar and a golden breadcrumb topping — great for picky eaters.
This baked pasta hides carrot and courgette in a silky tomato sauce, then dresses it in a cheesy, comforting topping — designed to win over wary eaters. It’s simple, forgiving and picky-eater-approved: no visible lumps, lots of familiar flavours and a satisfying crunch on top.
Make it for midweek dinners, lunchboxes or when you need something that both kids and fussy grown-ups will actually finish. It reheats well, freezes fine in portions, and is an easy vehicle for extra veg if you want to sneak them in.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried fusilli pasta
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — medium
- 2 carrot — medium
- 1 courgette — medium
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400 ml passata
- 15 ml tomato purée
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml salt
- black pepper — to taste
- 30 g butter
- 30 g plain flour
- 400 ml milk — whole or semi-skimmed
- 150 g mature vegetarian cheddar
- 30 g vegetarian hard cheese — for extra savoury lift (e.g. vegetarian parmesan-style)
- 50 g white breadcrumbs
- 10 g fresh basil leaves
Equipment
- blender or stick blender
- ovenproof baking dish (about 20 x 30 cm)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Lightly oil an ovenproof baking dish (about 20 x 30 cm).
Peel and finely chop the brown onion. Peel and roughly chop the carrot. Trim and roughly chop the courgette. Crush the garlic cloves.
Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium hob. Add the chopped onion, carrot, courgette and garlic and sauté until very softened and starting to colour, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the passata, tomato purée and dried oregano. Season with the salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes to concentrate the flavours.
Carefully transfer the hot vegetable-and-tomato mixture to a blender or use a stick blender and blitz until completely smooth — the smoother the sauce, the easier it is for picky eaters to accept the veg.
While the sauce simmers or is cooling slightly, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the dried fusilli pasta according to packet instructions until just tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium hob, stir in the plain flour and cook for 1–2 minutes to form a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer for 3–4 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in two-thirds of the mature vegetarian cheddar and all of the vegetarian hard cheese until melted. Season to taste.
Combine the blended tomato-veg sauce with the cheese sauce, then fold through the drained pasta until evenly coated. Tip the mixture into the prepared ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle the white breadcrumbs and the remaining mature vegetarian cheddar evenly over the top and scatter the fresh basil leaves.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until bubbling and the topping is golden.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving — this helps the bake set so it slices neatly for fussy eaters.
Tips
- For the smoothest sauce, blend while the mixture is still warm; it purees more easily than cold veg.
- Cook the pasta a minute or two under packet time if you know it’ll be reheated — it avoids going mushy.
- Make ahead: assemble, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Increase oven time by 5–8 minutes if baking straight from cold.
- Freeze leftover portions in airtight tubs for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional until piping hot.
- If crumbs brown too fast, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last half of the bake.
Substitutions
mature vegetarian cheddar → red Leicester or a milder cheddar, same quantity
Stays closepassata → tinned chopped tomatoes (400 g) blitzed briefly to smooth, same quantity
Stays closewhite breadcrumbs → crushed crisp croutons or panko, same quantity
Noticeably differentplain flour → gluten-free plain flour, same quantity (for gluten-free version but use gluten-free pasta too)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 686
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 85 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes — use a dairy-free spread instead of butter, a plant milk (unsweetened) and a dairy-free cheese alternate. Texture and flavour will be slightly different but still comforting.
How can I hide more veg?
Finely grate extra carrot or add a handful of cooked spinach to the sauce before blending. Spinach wilts down and blends invisibly.
Can I skip the bake and serve straight from the hob?
Yes — mix the pasta, sauce and cheese sauce in the pan and serve immediately. You’ll miss the crunchy topping, but it saves time.
Is it suitable for freezing?
Yes. Freeze in portions before baking or after baking once fully cooled. Reheat from frozen in a covered dish at 180°C fan/200°C conventional until hot in the centre.
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