Baked Veggie Pasta

This is my quick & easy version of vegetable lasagna. I was craving for lasagna this past weekend, but realized I didn’t have any lasagna noodles on hand. So I followed Rachael Ray’s route of making regular pasta but lasagnafy it with all the lasagna fixings (except for the lasagna and layering of course).

Great for weeknight meals (it doesn’t make for a quick meal, but at least it is not as involved as making real lasagna). Recipe is a combination of recipes I found online.

Ingredients:
Short Pasta – 1lb. (I used tri color rotini-spirals)
Asparagus – 1 bunch, chopped into 1” pieces
Carrots – 2 medium, chopped
Broccoli florets – 2 cups
Onion – 1 small, chopped
Tomato Puree – 1cup
Basil – 2-3tbsp, finely chopped (I used dried Herbes de Provence)
Veggie Broth – 2 cups, divided
Milk – 1 cup (I used whole milk, but low-fat will work fine)
All purpose Flour – 2tbsp
Nutmeg – ½ tsp, grated
Red chili flakes – ½ tsp
Garlic – 3 cloves, divided
Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup
Fontina Cheese – 1 cup, grated
Salt & pepper – to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450ºF.
  
• Cook pasta according to package directions to al-dente and keep aside until ready to use.
  
• While pasta cooks make the veggie sauce – Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan; add chili flakes and toast for 30 seconds. Add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic and onion and sauté till lightly browned.
  
• Next add all the chopped veggies; cook till the veggies are ¾th cooked. Add tomato puree, herbs, salt and 1 cup veggie broth. Cover and cook till the veggies are completely cooked through.
  
• In the meantime make the cheese sauce: Take the remaining 1 cup broth and milk along with the remaining garlic (crushed) in a microwaveable container. Microwave for 2 – 3 minutes or until the mixture is hot. Discard the garlic clove.
  
• In a small sauce pan, melt 2tbsp butter & 1 tbsp olive oil, add the flour and toast until the flour loses its raw smell, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour the milk mixture in the saucepan and whisk thoroughly to remove any lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until it thickens a little bit. Season with salt and pepper and grated nutmeg. Finally add grated cheese, mix well and keep aside.
  
• To bake: Mix pasta with the veggie sauce and pour that mixture into a baking dish. Top it with the cheese sauce and grated fontina cheese. Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, before digging in..