If you want to feed everyone in a hurry and without much fuss, but want far more flavour and nourishment than a jar of sauce can offer, then this air fryer vegetarian pasta bake is for you.
The ingredients are very simple. You’ll start by adding olive oil, chopped red onion, carrot, celery, and minced garlic to your air fryer and cooking for 15 minutes so that the vegetables soften.
You’ll then add cherry and tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, fresh basil, and fresh parsley, and cook for a further 20 minutes until you have a beautifully rich sauce.
Next, you'll stir in freshly cooked pasta and top with shredded cheddar and mozzarella before returning to the air fryer for a final 10 minutes until golden and bubbling and then scattering with fresh parsley before serving.
The delightfully stretchy cheese, rich tomato sauce and tender pasta is a truly delectable, classic combination. It's perfect for a weeknight family meal.
Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) fusilli pasta twists
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk grated or finely chopped
- 600 g (1.3 lb) chopped tomatoes
- 320 g (11.3 oz) fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 10 g (0.4 oz) fresh basil chopped
- 10 g (0.2 oz) parsley chopped
- 250 g (8.8 oz) mozzarella grated/shredded
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cheddar grated/shredded
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Remove the grill tray from your air fryer.
Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot and celery and a pinch of salt and pepper to the basket.
Set the air fryer to 180C/355F and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, fresh basil, half the fresh parsley and 100ml of water.
Stir and cook for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water for 8 minutes, then drain.
Add the pasta to the air fryer basket.
Stir.
Top with the cheeses.
Set the air fryer to cook for a final 10 minutes.
Scatter with the fresh parsley just before serving.
Make sure to serve using a wooden, silicone or rounded plastic utensil so that you don’t scratch your air fryer coating.
Once you've given my recipe a go, I'd love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.
I'd love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I'm @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.
Print this air fryer vegetarian pasta bake recipe
Air Fryer Vegetarian Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) fusilli pasta twists
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk grated or finely chopped
- 600 g (1.3 lb) chopped tomatoes
- 320 g (11.3 oz) fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 10 g (0.4 oz) fresh basil chopped
- 10 g (0.2 oz) parsley chopped
- 250 g (8.8 oz) mozzarella grated/shredded
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cheddar grated/shredded
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the grill tray from your air fryer and add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot and celery and a pinch of salt and pepper to the basket. Set the air fryer to 180C/355F and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, fresh basil, half the fresh parsley, and 100ml of water, stir and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water for 8 minutes, then drain.
- Add the pasta to the air fryer basket and stir.
- Top with the cheeses and set the air fryer to cook for a final 10 minutes.
- Scatter with the fresh parsley just before serving.
- Make sure to serve using a wooden, silicone or rounded plastic utensil so that you don’t scratch your air fryer coating.
Nutrition
More pasta recipes to try
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