Quorn Sausage Pasta Bake

Hello everyone, good morning! Hope you’re all Ok. It has been a tiring week, we’ve had back-to-back appointments, two of which happened on Friday, the first being for my dad which we attended first thing in the morning, and then the other being for my mum in the afternoon. Both appointments went really well with positive outcomes (which was a relief) but because it was such a long day, it took its toll on all of us, especially me and my mum as it took us an hour to get back home from the hospital. We also had to attend another appointment for my mum yesterday which didn’t go very well, it turns out she’s been misdiagnosed for the THIRD time now which we weren’t happy about, and because I was angry and defending my mum, the doctor was very rude and spoke down to me, even threatening me to the point of kicking me out of the room. If anyone reading this knows how I can go about getting justice for my mum in the U.K. where we are based, for being misdiagnosed yet again, I’d gladly take any advice. A positive thing that has perked me up is I’ve been reconnecting with my sister again which I’ve been loving, to know our bond and love for one another is still there and strong means so much to me, and I can’t wait to spend a couple of days with her next week whilst we’re on our mini-vacation to celebrate mine and my mums birthday!

On with this week’s post…As children are officially back at school and with the weather starting to get colder, it is time to bring out the stockpots and casserole dishes for those quick and comforting meals that you can just whip up in no time if you are busy and in a rush, and something that’s quick and easy and perfect for the autumn months is a yummy and delicious pasta bake…This easy vegetarian sausage pasta bake is so cheesy and comforting. With a rich tomato sauce, your favourite brand of vegetarian sausages, and plenty of mozzarella this cheesy baked pasta with sausages is a guaranteed family favourite.

Quorn Sausage Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 pack Quorn Vegetarian Sausages
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Red Onion, (diced)
• 2 Garlic Cloves, (finely chopped)
• 100g Celery, (finely diced)
• 100g Carrots, (finely diced)
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Vegetable Stock Cube in 250ml boiling water
• 400g Can Tomatoes
• 150g Dried Penne Pasta (you can use any other type of pasta)
• 1 tbsp Fresh Basil, (chopped)

For the Cheese sauce: 

• 25g Butter
• 35g Plain Flour
• 300ml Semi-Skimmed Milk
• 75g Cheddar Cheese, (grated)

For the topping:

• 50g Fresh Bread Crumbs, 50g Italian Hard Cheese or Cheddar Cheese (grated, mixed together)

Method:

In a large frying pan, heat half the oil and brown the Quorn Sausages. Set aside.

Add remaining oil and fry the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, dried oregano, stock, and tomatoes, season to taste simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally until the liquid has been reduced by half.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the on-pack instructions and pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F gas mark 6).

To make the cheese sauce, in a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

Gradually add the milk to make a thick smooth sauce. Cook for 5 minutes then add the grated cheese and let it melt.

When the pasta is cooked drain well, slice the Quorn Sausages into bite-sized pieces, and add the pasta, basil, and sausages to the tomato sauce.

Transfer to a baking dish, pour over the cheese sauce, and top with the breadcrumb and cheese topping.

Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with steamed green vegetables or fresh green salad.

*Side Notes*

• Feel free to mix up what herbs you want to add to your sauce if you don’t have oregano or thyme, fresh basil (like I’ve used) is also delicious
• This pasta bake works great as a base recipe to which you can add whatever vegetables you like if you want to up the veg content
• If you prefer pork sausages then feel free to switch the veggie sausages for your favourite meat ones
• This recipe is great for batch cooking, the recipe below makes 6 servings but feel free to multiply for meal prep
• This sausage pasta bake freezes really well, simply portion it into containers and freeze. When ready to eat defrost thoroughly then heat in the microwave
• You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading today’s post, if you decide to have a go at making this delicious meal, I hope you enjoy it. For now, though I hope you have a lovely week and I will see you next time!