This simple veggie sausage pasta bake is a lifesaver for days when you need dinner on the table, and fast. It’s 100% kid approved and there’s a good chance you have most of the ingredients in your fridge and cupboard anyway. Can be vegan or vegetarian.
Hands up if you love an easy dinner! I certainly do. I am rubbish at meal planning and it so often gets to dinner time and I don’t have a plan. This simple veggie sausage and pasta bake is a lifesaver for days like this. Made with passata sauce and veggie sausages it doesn’t take long to make at all.
What kind of pasta works best for a sausage pasta bake?
I prefer to use a tube-shaped pasta for my sausage pasta bakes. Rigatoni and penne both work excellently. For the photos however I have used spirali. This is my children’s favourite pasta shape and I think it looks really pretty.
Using a jar of passata for your sausage pasta bake makes it so easy
I usually make a tomato sauce from scratch when I’m cooking but there are times when even this feels too hard. If you’ve got kids I’m sure you’ll know these afternoons – the kids are hungry, they’re getting on each other’s nerves and you just need to get dinner in the oven quickly.
This veggie pasta bake with sausages and passata is for those occasions. All you need to do is cook the sausages and the pasta, mix with a jar of passata and top with cheese.
I have used a cashew cheese sauce here because I wanted to make this sausage pasta bake vegan. However, you can use a traditional white sauce, use a jar of ready made béchamel sauce or simply top with grated cheese instead.
But what is passata?
Passata is great because it’s simply sieved tomatoes. Tomato purée on the other hand usually comes in a tube and is much thicker – that’s not what you’re looking for here!
You can get varieties that have herbs, spices or chilli added but a classic jar of passata will contain just tomatoes. This makes it a really healthy option as there’s usually no added salt or sugar.
If you want more flavour in your pasta bake then you could use one of the varieties with added ingredients, or fry some onions and garlic to make a sauce with your passata. However, my kids are quite happy with a simple passata pasta bake.
More vegetarian pasta dishes
Lentil and roasted cauliflower pasta sauce
Easy veggie pasta sauce with zoodles
Rio pasta with black beans, corn and squash
Roasted tomato and asparagus pasta
Sundried tomato pasta with chipotle and walnuts
How to make this veggie sausage pasta bake with passata
Simple veggie sausage pasta bake
Ingredients
- 8 vegetarian or vegan sausages
- 250 g pasta eg penne, rigatoni or spirali
- 1 x 430g jar passata
- 400 ml cheese sauce I used cashew cheese sauce or 2 large handfuls of grated cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Handful chopped parsley to serve
Instructions
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Grill your eight vegetarian sausages until turning brown. Slice and set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
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Cook 250g pasta according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
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Stir through the passata and the chopped sausages.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with 400ml of cheese sauce or several handfuls of grated cheese.
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Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
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Serve with a green salad or other vegetables as preferred.
If you like this you might like this veggie sausage bake with potato, swede and cauliflower.
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