DESCRIPTION
This veggie and fettuccini casserole is the perfect comfort food when needing to use up a random assortment of vegetables. What I keep consistent each time is the homemade marinara sauce. The sauce is my holy grail of marinara with a lot of rich flavors.
VEGGIE AND FETTUCCINI CASSEROLE INGREDIENT DETAILS
- PASTA – I prefer to use fettuccini pasta, but any type should work!
- MARINARA SAUCE – If making a full batch of this casserole with 12 ounces of pasta, at least 28 ounces of marinara sauce will be needed to keep everything sufficiently saucy. I always make this homemade sauce shown in the recipe card below. it works out well to start the simmering process in the background while prepping the pasta and veggies.
- VEGETABLES – My favorite vegetable choices for this casserole include baby bell mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and kale. Other good ones include zucchini, spinach, and yellow squash.
- CHEESE – I like to use a mixture of ricotta and shredded mozzarella seasoned with a some salt and garlic powder.
PREPARATION
To prepare this veggie and fettuccini casserole, begin by boiling water for the pasta and prepping the marinara sauce.
The marinara sauce is mostly a dump ingredients and simmer kind of thing but begins with quickly sautéing onion and garlic in the sauce pan with olive oil. Once the onion is soft, the crushed tomato, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sugar, unsalted butter, and parmesan is added. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted. Simmer until the it’s time to assemble the casserole.
Once the marinara sauce is in the simmering stage, prep the vegetables. Chop up the mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions and simmer these for a few minutes. If using any leafy greens like kale or spinach, mix them into the sautéed veggies afterwards to melt.
The last step before assembling the casserole is to mix and season the cheese mixture. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and garlic powder and mix thoroughly.
Veggie and Fettuccine Casserole
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- ¼ Yellow Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 28 Ounce Can of Crushed Tomato
- 2 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
Casserole
- 28 Ounces Marinara Sauce , Refer to above Marinara Sauce Recipe!
- 12 Ounces Fettuccini Pasta
- 8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushroom , thinly sliced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper , thinly sliced
- ½ Yellow Onion , thinly sliced
- 3 Cups Kale , shredded and washed
- 8 Ounces Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Cup Mozzarella , shredded
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400 deg. F.
- Prepare fettuccini according to package directions, minus a couple minutes.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare the marinara sauce. Heat olive oil in sauce pan. Add minced onion and cook until soft. Add minced garlic to sauce pan with onion.
- Once the garlic is fragrant, add remaining marinara sauce ingredients to sauce pan and stir occasionally. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- While the marinara sauce is simmering, slice the bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms.
- Sauté bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms in a separate pan with olive oil for 5-10 minutes.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- In a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish, mix prepared fettuccini, marinara sauce, sautéed vegetables, kale, and ricotta cheese mixture with large tongs.
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on casserole.
- Cook at 400 deg. F for 25-30 minutes.
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