Veg Cheesy Bake in Red & Green Sauce is a cheesy savoury baked casserole with veggies, pasta and different sauces.
Veg Cheesy Bake in Red & Green Sauce is a wonderful one-pot meal that is protein-packed. It has three different sauces, which not only make the dish attractive but gives different flavours. You could say a complete burst of flavours that blend so well.
One can use a wide variety of vegetables, to get a nice mix of flavours, textures and colours. I have used French beans, carrots, potatoes and cauliflower. One can always substitute them with other veggies or you could use your favourite ones. We love cauliflower in this creamy sauce, but at the same time, Broccoli tastes delicious too.
When it comes to adding pasta, I like to keep varying them. It is either Penne or spaghetti which are the preferred ones, though we all like to try other ones like tortilla or macaroni from the long list of pasta.
For these cheesy baked veggies, I have used three sauces –
The green sauce makes the first layer. This is Spinach sauce, where you blanch the spinach, puree it and then season it with garlic.
White Sauce makes the second layer. This is a smooth creamy sauce and is very flavorful. The different vegetables and macaroni add a lot of texture and flavour along with nutrition.
Red Sauce makes the third layer. To give it a good protein punch, I have added boiled kidney beans.
After all the three layers are done, finally sprinkle fine bread crumbs and some cheese. The bread crumbs toast up beautifully. The melted cheesy layer with the roasted crumbs is what you want to dig in right away.
When it comes to serving, you could serve it as it is, else serve with some Garlic Toast or even a simple butter toast. I served buns with homemade garlic butter.
Veg Cheesy Bake in Red & Green Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup mixed vegetables, boiled
1 cup macaroni, boiled
Cheese, grated
White Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour/wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk
Red Sauce
6 large tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chilly flakes
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
Salt to taste
1/2 can ready baked beans
Spinach Sauce
1 bunch spinach
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp flour
1 tbsp cream
Salt to taste
Method
White Sauce
Add butter to a pan.
As soon it melts add the flour.
Roast till the flour turns a little brown.
Gradually add milk and whisk constantly.
Add salt and freshly milled pepper.
Red Sauce
Place a pot of water to boil.
Make a criss-cross on the tomato heads and drop them in water.
Let boil for 4-5 minutes, cover for 2-3 minutes.
Drain the water, let the tomatoes cool.
Peel off the skin and blend to make a smooth purée.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and add chopped garlic, sauté for a minute or two.
Add the prepared purée.
Add the mixed herbs, salt.
Add the tomato ketchup and the ready purée.
Cook for 4-5 minutes or until completely cooked.
Add the baked beans. Mix well.
Spinach Sauce
Clean the spinach making sure there are no weeds.
Wash the spinach very well and roughly chop it.
Place a pot of water for boiling.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add spinach.
after one boil, drain this water and rinse it with ice-cold water.
Now using a blender, make a fine purée of spinach.
Melt a tbsp of butter, add garlic and sauté for a minute.
Add finely chopped onion and cook till translucent.
Add 1/2 tbsp of flour and roast it for 2-3 minutes.
Add the spinach purée.
Adjust the consistency by adding milk.
Add salt and mix well.
Assembling the Dish
Grease an ovenproof dish.
Spread a layer of Spinach sauce.
Add the boiled veggies and macaroni to the white sauce.
Next spread a layer of the veggies with white sauce.
Now spread the red sauce with beans over the white sauce layer.
Sprinkle bread crumbs all over the dish.
Grate and spread cheese all over.
Bake at 180 degrees C for about 25 minutes.
Serve hot with garlic toast.
Check out some more Savoury Baked Dishes –
Baked Trottole Pasta with Veggies
Cheesy Baked Rice with Vegetables
Veg Cheesy Bake in Red & Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mixed vegetables boiled
- 1 cup macaroni boiled
- Cheese grated
White Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour/wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup milk
Red Sauce
- 6 large tomatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp chilly flakes
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 can ready baked beans
Spinach Sauce
- 1 bunch spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 tbsp cream
- Salt to taste
Instructions
White Sauce
- Add butter to a pan.
- As soon it melts add the flour.
- Roast till the flour turns a little brown.
- Gradually add milk and whisk constantly.
- Add salt and freshly milled pepper.
Red Sauce
- Place a pot of water to boil.
- Make a criss-cross on the tomato heads and drop them in water.
- Let boil for 4-5 minutes, cover for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the water, let the tomatoes cool.
- Peel off the skin and blend to make a smooth purée.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and add chopped garlic, sauté for a minute or two.
- Add the prepared purée.
- Add the mixed herbs, salt.
- Add the tomato ketchup and the ready purée.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes or until completely cooked.
- Add the baked beans. Mix well.
Spinach Sauce
- Clean the spinach making sure there are no weeds.
- Wash the spinach very well and roughly chop it.
- Place a pot of water for boiling.
- Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add spinach.
- after one boil, drain this water and rinse it with ice-cold water.
- Now using a blender, make a fine purée of spinach.
- Melt a tbsp of butter, add garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Add finely chopped onion and cook till translucent.
- Add 1/2 tbsp of flour and roast it for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the spinach purée.
- Adjust the consistency by adding milk.
- Add salt and mix well.
Assembling the Dish
- Grease an ovenproof dish.
- Spread a layer of Spinach sauce.
- Add the boiled veggies and macaroni to the white sauce.
- Next spread a layer of the veggies with white sauce.
- Now spread the red sauce with beans over the white sauce layer.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs all over the dish.
- Grate and spread cheese all over.
- Bake at 180 degrees C for about 25 minutes.
- Serve hot with garlic toast.
Notes


All your pastas are making me so hungry Vaishali. Love the idea of a spinach sauce. I need to make it at the earliest
I love the idea of having three distinct colored layers. This is awesome and looks scrumptious!
Love all the variety pasta bakes you posted this week, Vaishali. This tri colored pasta bake looks colorful.
Loving the multi colored pasta. A definitely kid friendly pasta dish.