Pasta with Mediterranean vegetables.
Pass the parmesan please! Meet your new favourite veg-friendly dinner, Pasta with Mediterranean vegetables.
A 30 minute dinner using simple ingredients thats going to satisfy the whole family.
Even the meat lovers will be won over with this one. The pasta sauce has beautiful flavours from eggplant, zucchini, capsicum and fresh basil.
This is my take on a ratatouille but instead of using fresh tomatoes I am using crushed tomatoes to turn these Mediterranean vegetables into a delicious and hearty sauce.
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This pasta dish has been around in our family as long as I can remember. I love the fresh take on pasta sauce which is fresh and light.
If meat is your thing then you need to check out my spaghetti bolognese and my spaghetti with meatballs. But I can assure you that this robust sauce is going to really satisfy your hunger pains.
Getting your kids to eat more vegetables isn’t always easy but I find when It’s pasta then there are usually no complaints.
It’s all about serving delicious food to your family thats going to nourish and sustain them. This way they won’t be raiding the pantry 20 minutes after dinner.
Heres a few more reasons why I love this recipe:
- It’s super easy and ready in around 30 minutes
- A great way to get more veggies in your diet
- It’s vegan and can be adapted to gluten-free
- It freezes well so it can be made ahead
Pasta with Mediterranean vegetables
So what are mediterranean vegetables exactly? these are the vegetables that are most common in Mediterranean and in particular Italian cooking.
Vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, capsicum and tomatoes are all staple veg in Italy.
Although these wonderful vegetables peek in the Summer months they are readily available year round. Which means we can enjoy this pasta in any season.
The pasta I have used with this sauce is called Casarecce this type of pasta originates from Sicily where my husbands family is from. They are twists of pasta which roll in towards each other.
Lots of nooks and crannies for the sauce to get into!
I love experimenting with different types of pasta and this one is really fun to eat.
Other ways to serve this sauce
This wonderful sauce goes well with any type of pasta including spaghetti, rigatoni, spirals, penne or ravioli.
It’s equally delicious served with rice, couscous or even creamy polenta.
Do you know what, this sauce is so good that I love it ladled straight into a bowl topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a big chunk of crusty bread to scoop it all up.
If you have leftovers, its great for lunch the next day served alongside a fried egg and some sourdough.
What you will need
Casarecce or other dried pasta
Onion
Garlic
Celery; only one stalk is needed, I love using the smaller stalks from the centre otherwise known as the celery heart. They are a lot more tender.
Eggplant
Zucchini
capsicum
Crushed tomatoes
Fresh basil
Parmesan cheese to serve
How to make pasta with mediterranean vegetables
Start by Preparing your veggies, using a sharp knife dice your eggplant, zucchini and capsicum. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large fry pan or sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf and cook for 2 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
Next add the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum and cook for a few minutes before adding the oregano, tomatoes, passata and fresh basil.
Season with salt and pepper. Give the sauce a good stir and once it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain reserving a cup full of the cooking liquid.
Return the pasta to the pot and ladle over the sauce (you don’t need to use all of the sauce) add a good splash of the cooking liquid and toss it all together.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
See below for the full recipe
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do 🙂
Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. I really enjoy hearing your feedback.
Tools to make the job easier
Robert Welch signature vegetable knife
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Pasta with eggplant, zucchini and capsicum
Ingredients
- 500 g Casarecce pasta or any pasta of your choice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 stick celery diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 eggplant diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 capsicum diced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 400 g can of crushed tomatoes
- 680 ml bottle passata
- Small bunch fresh basil leaves
- Parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large fry pan or sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf and cook for 2 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Next add the eggplant, zucchini and capsicum and cook for a few minutes before adding the oregano, tomatoes, passata and fresh basil.
- Season with salt and pepper. Give the sauce a good stir and once it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Once the pasta is cooked drain, reserving a cup full of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and ladle over the sauce (you don't need to use all of the sauce) add a good splash of the cooking liquid and toss it all together.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
This is a beautiful dish and I’m sure it’s delicious.
Thanks Liz!! It’s so delicious 🙂
thanks for sharing article via facebook group. which made us to read this article,
No worries 🙂
This dish looks healthy and hearty! Can easily be made vegan too just by subbing vegan parmesan on top 😊
Perfect 🙂
Great article, nice big pictures. Definitely want to try out this recipe.
Thanks Sara
This looks delicious: love all of the vegetables. I had to look up what passata is.
Thanks Melissa.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Love love love it!!! I’ve made it three times now so I thought it was time to write a review. I have never been able to get my kids to eat eggplant until now! All three kids love it. It’s a must try!!
Thank you Susie, Its one of my favourites too!
Very yummy thank you!!!
Thank you 🙂