Main Dishes
Pesto Pasta Bake
Prep
25 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
8 -10
🌿 Quick and easy Pesto Pasta Bake ready in under an hour! This comforting casserole combines fresh pesto, perfectly cooked pasta, and melty cheese for a filling weeknight dinner that's perfect for leftovers.
Is there anything better than a good ol’ casserole? I think not! This pesto pasta bake is a great, quick meal to whip up during a busy week. It’s filling, it’s delicious, and who doesn’t love pasta? I love to make this for Andrew and me on a Sunday night to have leftovers for a few days to bring for lunches or as a quick meal.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Pesto Pasta Bake
- It’s Pasta: If you don’t like pasta, you must be a serial killer. Enough said.
- Quick: Whip this up in under an hour for a satisfying dinner.
- Fresh: The pesto adds such a delicious freshness to this recipe that I love.
🍲 Ingredients
Pesto – I like to make a simple homemade pesto with a mix of ingredients like basil, kale, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. However, you can also make a simpler one with basil, parmesan (if you’re not vegan), and olive oil. If you’re lazy (no judgement) buy a store-bought one.
Feta – My fav vegan feta is from Violife Foods. It’s soy-free, gluten-free, and absolutely tastes like the real thing (this is coming from a Greek girl after all). It also melts great in dishes like this, and can be used in everything! Eat it in salads, on top of pizza, on its own, the options are endless.
Kale – Sneaking some kale into this delicious recipe to add in those added nutritional benefits of vitamin A, C, K, folate, iron, and the list goes on. Kale is such a superfood!
👩🍳 How to Make This Pesto Pasta Bake
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiled, generously salt. Cook pasta as per package instructions. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- To a large pan, heat olive on medium and cook down onions and garlic till translucent. This may take up to 5-6 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. To the pan, add the spices and coat everything evenly.
- To the pan, add the kale and cook till decreased by half in size. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- To the pot of strained pasta, add all the kale + tomato sauce and combine. Transfer to a large casserole dish (13″L x 7.75″W x 2.25″) and set aside.
- Into a small bowl, add the feta of choice and pesto and stir till combined.
- Topthe pasta in the casserole dish with the feta/pesto mixture and evenly distribute the pasta water. Bake at 350F for 25-30 mintues.
- Enjoy with fresh basil!
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Pasta: Avoid super tiny noodles or long noodles (such as spaghetti or fettuccine) for best results.
- Moisture: Reserve that pasta water – it helps the sauce cling to the pasta and keeps everything moist.
- Browning: For extra crispy edges, broil for the last 2-3 minutes, but watch carefully.
🗒 Variations
Make this pasta your own with these simple changes:
- Cheese: My favorite vegan feta is from Violife Foods. It’s soy-free, gluten-free, and absolutely tastes like the real thing. If you’re not vegan, use regular feta instead.
- Pesto: If you’re lazy (no judgment), buy a store-bought one instead of making it from scratch.
- Greens: Swap kale for spinach or Swiss chard if preferred.
- Pasta: Use gluten-free pasta if needed – the recipe works just as well!
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat portions in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
🤔 Common Questions
Nope! I would just advise against super tiny noodles or long ones (like spaghetti or fettuccine). Medium-shaped pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or rigatoni, works best.
Absolutely not. I often have homemade pesto in my freezer that I thaw out when I need it, but you can also buy store-bought.
Yes! Assemble the entire dish, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time if starting from cold.
That’s why we reserve the pasta water! The starchy water helps keep everything moist during the baking process. You can also cover with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking if needed.
Definitely! Cooked chicken (if you are not plant-based), chickpeas, or white beans would all be great additions. Just fold them in with the pasta and sauce, then top with the pesto and feta mixture.
Pesto Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 227 g Fusili Pasta
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion minced
- 5 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
- 1 tbsp. Umani Spice optional, I use Simply Organic
- 1 tbsp. basil spice
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red chili pepper
- 1 large head of kale washed, de-stemmed and chopped
- 18 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 brick of vegan Violife Feta 1 cup regular feta
- 1/2 cup pesto could also be storebought
- large handfuls of fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiled, generously salt. Cook pasta as per package instructions. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- To a large pan, heat olive on medium and cook down onions and garlic till translucent. This may take up to 5-6 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. To the pan, add the spices and coat everything evenly.
- To the pan, add the kale and cook till decreased by half in size. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- To the pot of strained pasta, add all the kale + tomato sauce and combine. Transfer to a large casserole dish (13″L x 7.75″W x 2.25″) and set aside.
- Into a small bowl, add the feta of choice and pesto and stir till combined.
- Top the pasta in the casserole dish with the feta/pesto mixture and evenly distribute the pasta water. Bake at 350F for 25-30 mintues.
- Enjoy with fresh basil!
Video
Love it! Tried it tonight and is a total banger!
YESSSS SO GLAD YOU LOVED IT!
What is the oven temperature please
350F