Gluten Free Vegetarian Pasta Bake

There is just something about the old classic, the pasta bake...
It instantly reminds me of my mother and dark, rainy nights snuggled in front of a cosy fire when we lived in the country. Happily eating her pasta bakes covered in crochet blankets!
Warm memories.
I love the way food is such an experience that certain foods are linked for us with events and times of our lives. Food really does tell a story and for me the pasta bake was one of my first comfort foods.

Now I make it for my kids too, but with a healthy twist, now we are also not gluten intolerant but I like to do a large amount of our meals and snacks gluten free as I believe it is more kinder on the bowels!!

This dish can be whipped up in not very long at all, it freezes really well and makes fantastic leftovers and school lunches too or a bring a plate dish for the next BBQ!

If you like pasta bake or macaroni cheese you will love this healthy version.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 1 box of gluten free pasta, cooked according to packet directions.
  (I also find it helps to add a little dash of oil in the boiling water with gluten free pasta to stop it all sticking together.
• 2 tablespoons gluten free flour
• 500ml almond, soy or dairy milk ( I used almond.)
• half a teaspoon nutmeg ground
• 2 teaspoons paprika (look for a really good quality one - it makes a lot of difference!)
• !/2 cup broccoli, very finely chopped.
• 2 carrots peeled and finely grated.
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped.
• 3 large tomatoes. 2 chopped one sliced.
• 1 zucchini, peeled and grated.
• 1 cup grated cheese.
• Freshly chopped parsley to taste ( I used about a good handful ).
• Fresh and thinly chopped chives to taste. (I used about 9 stalks).
• 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard (or to taste)
• 1 free range egg.
• 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes (optional)
• pepper
• himalayan salt - to taste
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped.

• Cook gluten free pasta according to directions, rinse very lightly and then drained and set aside.
• Very, (extra very for fussy eating kids) chop the broccoli
• Grate the carrot and zucchini.
• Place the vegetables into a mixing bowl or even straight into the baking dish.

• Place the butter into a saucepan and melt slowly over a low heat.
• Once melted add in the flour, stir constantly for 1 minute.
• Add small amounts of the milk stirring the whole time until they are combined with the flour mix, keep doing this until all the milk has been used and it is a nice consistency. Use a whisk of needed to make sure it is nice and smooth.

• Season with the nutmeg, paprika and a pinch of himalayan salt and add in the mustard. Taste. 
• Add in the cheese and stir through until melted in. Taste again add more mustard or salt and pepper if needed.
• Let the sauce cool a bit and then whisk in the egg.
• Mix everything together except the sliced tomatoes and a small amount of the chopped mixed herbs.
• Pour into a deep baking dish top with the sliced tomato and some of the fresh herbs.

• Bake at 180' fan forced for 20 minutes or until nice and golden on top.
• Serve on its own as a simple dinner or with a nice fresh salad with a zesty dressing and optional garlic bread for a great tasty meal.

Notes

• This dish is great for leftovers and school lunchboxes.
• Make and freeze ahead for those tired nights.
• Add some chili for more punch.
• Add mushrooms at the last step before cooking.
• For VEGANS, leave out the egg, make the white sauce with olive oil in place of butter and leave out the cheese, add another half cup of milk when making the sauce and instead add savoury yeast flakes for a lovely cheesey flavour.

Toddler/Kids Tips

• Kids love the cheesey flavour. You can make it even stronger my adding a strong flavoured cheese that is suitable or more grated cheese.
• Freeze lunch sized amounts in container for easy lunchboxes and pack on the day with a fresh salad or chopped raw crunchy vegetables.

Live Well. Eat Beautiful. Stay Calm. Be Active.

Bek xx

Family Movie Nights & Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love a family tradition.
There is something so wonderful and warm and loving about them.

We don't have all that many of them in our family so my girls and I started a few of our own and one of our absolute favourites in our Family Movie Nights

Every Friday night our little group of 3 get excited about our Friday night. We plan it all week.
We pick our movie, and a lot of thought goes into this. Sometimes it a beloved classic aka Disney, sometimes it's a family fave, sometimes its a recent release and sometimes it is blast from the past!
(these are the most fun for me - recently we watched The Aviator!!)

I always make a big batch of organic homemade popcorn seasoned with pink himilayan salt and a tiny dash of olive oil, usually something like Pink Lemonade or my kids favourite Coconut Water, coconutty water as my youngest calls it! (and mummy might have a nice wine - especially if it is say a Barbie movie!)

And my favourite part is the fun dinner we put together, to go with the movie we usually have our own version of a popular takeaway so it could be pizza's, fish and chips, nuggets and dipping sauces, kebab's, burgers, noodle boxes, sausage rolls, party pies, hot dogs or something that goes with the movie!

One of our latest was spaghetti and vege meatballs while watching, yep, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! It was such a hit with the kids! I have since made it several times and the 'meatballs' themselves, also make stunning hors d'oeuvre's - make them much smaller with extra chili and serve on toothpicks YUM!

  Vege Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own with spelt, sour dough bread but you could make your own with any nice bread, I would just recommend not white bread)
• 1/2 cup Quinoa crumbs (most supermarkets have these now - or you could check your local health food store)
• 3 free range eggs
• 1 can sanitarium nutmeat - see NOTES for my alternative to make your own
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan (please not the icky stuff in the tin)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• extra basil leaves
• 4 cloves Australian garlic (you could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1/2 fresh red chili, fineli chopped - optional (You could also use Gourmet Garden)
• 1 small onion

Method

• Fry the onion in a frying pan until lightly transparent, add in the garlic, chili and thyme, stir together 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Finely chop the baby spinach leaves.
• In a large bowl roughly mash up the nutmeat until pliable, add in the breadcrumbs, eggs, quinoa crumbs, spinach, walnuts and onion mix, mix well together. 
• Roughly tear up the basil ( I love doing this the smell is always so gorgeous!)
• Mix the basil and Parmesan through the mix.
• With your hands (yes I love my hand on cooking) roll mixture into balls until you have done all of it.
• Lightly fry a few of these at a time over a medium heat in a little olive oil or oil of choice..
• Remove from heat and drain on paper towel.
• Make your favourite tomato pasta sauce here is one of my really hearty ones you can make well ahead or you can make a lovely simple one by frying some onion and garlic, add in a tin of tomatoes,some fresh basil leaves, a little thyme and chili and some passata sauce.
• Cook your spaghetti noodles of choice (we are really loving CT Fine Foods Pasta at the moment)
• When your noodles are almost cooked add the meatballs into your still warm cooked tomato pasta sauce for a few minutes so they become plump, warm and delicious.
• Serve bowls of spaghetti, topped with tomato pasta sauce and delicious vege meatballs.
• You can serve topped with some fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.

Notes

• These vege meat balls make incredible hors d'oeuvre's, make them nice and small, with an extra hit of chili and serve warm or cold on toothpicks with a great dipping sauce.
• For an alternative version:
  1 & 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup quinoa crumbs,1 cup peanuts, 1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 cup macadamias, 1/4 cup walnuts, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup basil, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 free range eggs, 2 teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons Parmesan,
  Bash the nuts in a morter and pestal until mostly crumby. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and follow directions above. 

Toddler Tips

• This is great for toddlers who love the tomato pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
• Make some of the meatballs nice and toddler bite sized.

(c)RebeccaMugridge2013

RECIPE - Lentil Tomato Pasta Sauce

You are going to love this one!

Lentil Tomato Pasta Sauce

A nutritious homemade pasta sauce, beautifully served here with gluten free locally made CT Fine Foods Carrot Fettuccine Pasta, and enhanced with the local gorgeous Noosa Chili Jam! I know the Sunshine Coast is awesome!.  

Ingredients

·         1 kilo tomatoes

·         1 cup brown lentils

·         1 litre vegetable stock

·         1 onion, chopped

·         3 cloves Australian garlic, finely chopped

·         ½ cup tomato paste

·         ¼ cup Chili Jam (optional) I used local Noosa Chili Jam

·         1 tsp dried marjoram

·         1 tsp dried thyme

·         Karom Pink Himalyan salt, to taste

·         Cracked black pepper, to taste

·         1 packet pasta, I used here CT Fine Foods, Gluten Free Carrot Fettuccine Pasta

·         1 cup water, if required

Method

·         Cut tomatoes with an x on the bottom.

·         Place tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 3 minutes.

·         Drain and allow to cool, skin should remove easily, discard skin.

·         Bring vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan.

·         Add in lentils and reduce to a simmer.

·         In a frying pan fry onion until lightly translucent add in garlic, thyme and marjoram, stir together over a medium low heat for 2 minutes.

·         Chop up the tomatoes or put through a food processor.

·         Add tomatoes to onion mixture.

·         Stir through tomato paste, and Chilli Jam, season to taste with salt and pepper.

·         Simmer on a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring.

·        When lentils are cooked add them into the tomato mixture, add a little extra water if needed.

·         Simmer all together for 2- 3 minutes on a low heat to allow all flavours to combine.

·         Serve.

Notes

·         This is a fantastic recipe when you have plenty of tomatoes growing in the garden.

·         Tomatoes can also be de-seeded prior to chopping.

·         Make a big batch and freeze it! Great also to use in a lasagne, home-made pies and more.

·         High in protein.

Toddler Tips

·         Break fettuccini into smaller toddler friendly pieces before cooking.

·         Top with a little grated cheese and serve with crusty whole meal bread.

·         Kids love this dish but be prepared for them to get a little messy!

This recipe was a twist on an old family favourite in a recipe creation commercial project for supermarket Maleny Supa IGA and a 52 recipe card series I did.
I am available for commercial, print ready recipe creation work, with or without taste testing events, cooking demonstrations - contact me to find out more.