MY BIGGER FATTER GREEK VEGGIE PASTA

My big fat Greek veggie pasta bake has become one of the most popular recipes on MattyB Bakes but its more suited to a warm summers day. This recipe originally came from a family friend and is great for a more warming and comforting evening meal on a wet and chilly night. Spread over the top is a Greek yogurt layer which really adds a twist to the traditional tomato pasta bake. I'd never seen anything like it before but its such a fab idea I implore you to give it a go and experience it for yourself.

Ive adjusted the recipe to suit my veggie friends out there by using my old friend, Quorn mince. Carnivores can of course use lamb mince. Just add this in at the start, draining any fat as you go and when its all started to brown and broken up continue with recipe from the start sans the Quorn.

For the dieters out there this recipe is not as healthy as my original Greek pasta bake but low fat Greek yogurt is still quite low cal so why not make this as a treat for yourself after a hard weeks watching your waistline. Its tasty delicious but won't have you crying on the scales in the morning

Fancy something a bit different? Give it a go tonight!

 Greek Veggie Pasta Bake

1 Diced Red Onion

4 Grated Garlic Clove

2 Tbsp Tomato Paste 

1 Chopped Celery Stick

1 Chopped Red Pepper

1 Chopped Yellow Pepper

1 Chopped Courgette

200g Chopped Mushrooms

400 Tin Chopped Tomatoes

200g Quorn Mince

1 Bay Leaf

2 Tsp Dried Mint

2 Vegetable Stock Cubes

200g Fussili

250g Greek Yogurt

1 Egg

Handful Finely Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves

Black Pepper To Season

1. In a large lightly oiled pan on a medium heat, throw in the onion and garlic cloves and fry until the onions begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Add in the tomato paste and fry for a further minute.
2. Add in the celery, peppers, courgette and mushroom and fry, stirring constantly until the mushrooms have begun to soften.
3. Add the tomatoes, Quorn mince, bay leaf and mint and give everything a good stir. Sprinkle over the stock cubes and add boiling water to just cover all the ingredients. Bring the pot to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for around 25 minutes.
4. After the 25 minutes, throw in the pasta and simmer until the pasta is nearly cooked. Keep stirring ever 5 mins whilst cooking to stop the pasta sticking to the bottom on the pan. Once done transfer the pasta and sauce to a baking dish large enough for it all and leave to one side until cool.
5. Time to preheat your oven to 200 degrees (180 fan).
6. Once the pasta and sauce has cooled, add the yogurt, egg and mint leaves into a bowl and beat together until well combined and season with black pepper. 
7. Spread this mixture over the pasta and sauce and bake in the oven for around 3-40 minutes. The yogurt will appear set and golden brown.

Serve piping hot with a nice side salad of spinach sprinkled with feta and you have a delightful Greek meal that will warm the cockles of your heart.

 

Feel free to you use any pasta you have lying around but nothing stringy like spaghetti or tagliatelle as it will not work in your bake. Something like rigatoni or macaroni would be smashing though. Experiment!

Once again I say to you: 

 

"Kalí̱ órexi̱!"