We all need our daily fix of vegetables, and our 7 vegetable beef pasta bake certainly hits the mark. So if you’re looking for easy ways to get the family to eat veggies, this dish has 7, and it’s so yummy. With a bit of luck, they wont even notice it’s good for them.

7 vegetable beef pasta bake

• 2 large onions, peeled and finely diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 750g Ritchies premium beef mince
• 2 400g cans crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 350g of penne pasta or your favorite pasta
• 8 button mushroom, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, roughly diced
• 4 kale leaves, stem removed and very finely sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups beef stock
• seasalt and freshly ground pepper
• ²/₃ cup grated tasty cheese

7 vegetable beef pasta bake method

Preheat oven to 180^oC

Cook the pasta following the pack instructions for al dente, or just a little underdone. Drain and reserve a little of the pasta cooking water.

Add the olive oil and onion to a large frying or sauté pan, on a medium low heat. Cook stirring occasionally for about 5-6 minutes until soft and just starting to turn golden. Turn the heat up and add the beef mince, stirring often until the mince is browned. Add the garlic and sliced mushrooms and cook for another minute until the garlic smells fragrant. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, carrots, stock and herbs. Turn the heat to medium and put a lid on the pot. Simmer until the carrots become tender and the flavours are well combined which takes about 20 minutes. Then fold in the cooked pasta, kale and zucchini.

Pile high in a large ovenproof dish and scatter the top with grated cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese has formed a golden crust. Serve hot with a fresh salad.

You can use Ritchies’ classic bolognese sauce as the base for this dish and just add the veggies and pasta.

Serves 6. Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 45 minutes. (excluding pasta cooking time)