Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Tomato Sauce, Easy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe

April 22, 2016

Is there any better comfort food than baked macaroni and cheese with full of veggies in tomato sauce? I think not. It's easy to make with tons of rich tomato sauce and a secret ingredient making it extra delicious!

Pasta is my all time favourite for breakfast. It easy to whip up and filling for the morning & evening dose. Though I have tried different types of pastas. This is an easy, delicious, and satisfying vegetarian pasta recipe.

The ingredients were all familiar from the popular Italian dishes and I though it was good enough a substitute for me to get started with try to some Italian recipe.

This is the recipe of Roasted and Baked method, roasted means the pasta is cooked with vegetable in sauces and baked with cheese, if you have less time, you can cook and bake the pasta with vegetable in your choice of sauce in one method only.

I thought to surprise my husband with his favorite macaroni pasta in this new cheesy baked style :D yesterday I made this baked pasta and served him, He just loved it so much :)

It turned out to be such a wholesome, hearty and finger-licking-delicious dish.

If you are looking for more pasta recipes then do check

veg macaroni-pasta in tomato sauce
pasta tomato sauce
vegetable shell pasta in tomato sauce
penne pasta in white sauce
fusilli pasta in tomato sauce

Let's start to make this easy and quick recipe with simple step-by-step process.

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients :

Macaroni Pasta - 1 and 1/2 cups
Green Capsicum - 1/3 cup
Yellow Bell pepper - 1/3 cup
Red Bell Pepper - 1/3 up
Pasta Sauce - 1/3 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1 no
Garlic – 4 pods, minced
Tomatoes – 1 large, chopped
Corns - 1/2 cup
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Tomato sauce - 3 to 4 tbsp
Italian seasoning – 1/2 tbsp or to taste
Pepper – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp
Grated Mozzarella cheese - 1 cup
Grated Cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Oregano - 1/4 tsp
Basil leaves for garnishing

Preparation Method:

Cooking the macaroni pasta:

It’s the same method for any pasta.

1. Heat water in a cooking pot and bring to a boil. Add salt & oil to season the pasta.

2. Add the pasta and let it cook it for 8-10 minutes (you can check it if you suspect it is done by taking one out with a fork – the pasta shells should be soft enough to pinch and cut open but not mushy or mash-able).

3. Turn off the heat & drain pasta well in a bowl. Place the drained pasta in the running cold water to stop the cooking process. You could add a few drops of oil and toss-up the pasta if you feel it might stick together.

Making the vegetables and tomato sauce :

1. While the pasta is cooking you can start working on the sauce.

2. Heat some butter in a heavy bottomed pan. On medium heat, add the chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds until cooked, Once garlic will infuse its flavor then add the chopped onions & saute till translucent pink.

3. Add the vegetables, cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat till crunchy. I used all 3 types of bell pepper(green, red, yellow).

4. Add the corns, tomatoes, salt, chilli flakes, pepper & oregano. Mix well & cook covered for 5 mins. Tomatoes will turn slightly soft.

5. Add the tomatoes puree, Cover it with lid & cook it on for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid in the sauce would reduce down over time.

6. Add the tomato sauce, check and add more salt if needed. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are done but have a little bit crunch left in them and the liquid in the sauce has reduced to desired consistency.

Baking the Pasta

1. Preheat oven at 200 deg C for 10 mins. Grease a deep baking dish (oven-proof) -
step 1 - Spread a layer of macaroni pasta.
step 2 -Sprinkle half of grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

2. Repeat the layers from step 1 to 2. I used 2 layers.

3. Now transfer the dishes to the wire-rack at 200 deg C for 10-12 mins or until it’s golden brown and bubbling.

4. Serve hot baked macaroni pasta, garnish with basil and Enjoy! You can even pack it in tiffin after it cools slightly.

~~Important Notes~~

* Do not bake for more time as the pasta may become very hard and chewy to eat.
* You can use either store bought pasta sauce or make your own sauce at home.
* I liked the idea of baking in individual portions especially if your kids like pasta then its easy to serve individually.
* Use only oven proof dish.
* I used colored capsicum alone, you can add any veggies of your choice.