Name: Pasta Bake with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 5 people
Ingredients: 200 g uncooked pasta ((2 cups) I used fusilli); 1 bay leaf; 1 large fennel (quartered then thinly sliced); 220 g cherry tomatoes (halved); 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped); 1 onion (finely chopped); 400 g 1 can chopped tomatoes; 180 g passata ((0.72 cups)); 4 tbsp white wine; 3 tbsp olive oil (plus more for drizzling); 1 tbsp oregano; 1.5 tsp each: smoked paprika and onion granules/powder; 60 g parmesan, coarsely grated (plus 3 tablespoons finely grated; ensure it's vegetarian); 1 tsp coarse sea salt plus pepper to taste

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This easy one-pot pasta with fennel and cherry tomatoes is a delicious vegetarian dinner idea, simple to make and based around a handful of healthy ingredients. Ready in under 50 minutes.

This simple one-pot pasta with fennel and tomatoes ticks so many boxes – it’s delicious, easy to make, and healthy! Come to think of it, there aren’t really any other boxes to tick, at least as far as everyday cooking, so well done me:)

This pasta bake with fennel takes only about 45 minutes to make! This includes boiling the pasta, chopping and cooking the vegetables as well as the time needed for the dish to bake in the oven. I think that’s not bad for a recipe that’s made from scratch!

The list of ingredients is also reasonably short and I’ve kept the extras (i.e. spices) to the minimum. Apart from some oregano and smoked paprika I also used some onion granules for more depth of flavour. I rely quite a bit on this ingredient in my everyday cooking when there is no time to chop the onions or when I want a more intense onion flavour in a dish.

Fennel can be prepared in various ways but for this fennel pasta bake I decided to slice it thinly and simply cook with the other sauce ingredients. This is a quick and easy method, perfect to use in a simple meal idea. You might also like this easy vegetable casserole with roasted fennel and beans as well as creamy beet soup with fennel and kale.

Equipment you’ll need

Kitchen scale/measuring cup
Cutting board, knife and grater
Pot and strainer for preparing the pasta
Large shallow dish suitable for all sources of heat (or large pan and separate casserole dish)

How to make pasta with fennel and tomatoes: step-by-step

1.Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Boil the pasta for 4 minutes in salted water with a leaf then strain reserving the water (you will need 300 ml/1.25 cups). In the meantime prepare the other ingredients. In a pan/casserole dish heat up 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the garlic, onion and fennel for 6 minutes stirring often. Add the wine and continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

Sliced fennel and onions in large, white shallow dish with black spatula to the right.

2. Add the tomatoes, passata, pasta (including 300 ml/1.25 cups of the water it cooked in), oregano, smoked paprika, onion granules, parmesan, salt and pepper and stir thoroughly.

Fussili pasta, tomatoes, fennel and grated cheese in large white shallow dish.

3. Dot the cherry tomatoes (cut side up) over the top of the casserole, sprinkle 3 tablespoons of finely grated parmesan over the whole thing and drizzle with oil. Bake in the upper part of the oven for 20 minutes then increase the heat to 240 C and bake for 10-15 more minutes until the sauce has caramelised around the edges.

Fussili pasta with tomatoes in large white shallow casserole dish.

4. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Baked tomato fennel pasta in large white casserole dish with black rubber gloves around handles.

Top tips for making tomato fennel pasta bake

Equipment: If possible use a large shallow casserole dish that’s suitable for all heat sources. Alternatively use a large pan for making the sauce then transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.
Preparation: To save time prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Pasta: Fusilli, penne or macaroni would all work well in this recipe. Ensure the pasta is only half cooked before combining with the other ingredients. Remember to reserve the water from cooking the pasta (300 ml).
Best served immediately.
Not suitable for freezing.

More veggie pasta bake recipes

Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.

Keep in touch

If you make this simple fennel and pasta casserole I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Did you make any substitutions/use different herbs? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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