Pizza Pasta Bake from the Thermomix® combines pasta, mince sauce and layered vegetables in one dish. The spirelli are par-cooked for just 2 minutes in the mixing bowl, then finish cooking in the oven for 35 minutes in the tomato sauce.
We have been making this bake regularly for years. The layering works because the pasta is deliberately not fully cooked during the first stage.
Pizza Pasta Bake, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 15 ✓
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 chilli dried
- 1 onion
- 10 g olive oil
- 400 g mixed mince
- 400 g chopped tomatoes, tinned
- 400 g vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 250 g spirelli pasta
- 200 g courgette
- 1 red pepper
- 200 g mushrooms
- 100 g Emmental cheese
- 300 g Mozzarella
Instructions 0 / 9
-
1
Chop garlic and chilli.
Peel the garlic, add to the mixing bowl with the chilli and chop for 3 sec / speed 5.
-
2
Chop onion.
Peel the onion, halve it, add to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and push down with the spatula.
-
3
Sweat the aromatics.
Add the olive oil to the mixing bowl and cook for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
4
Cook the mince.
Add the mince to the mixing bowl and cook for 5 min / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1.
-
5
Par-cook the pasta.
Add the tomatoes, stock, salt, oregano and spirelli to the mixing bowl and mix for 2 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1. The pasta will still be firm after these 2 minutes!
-
6
Prepare the vegetables.
Meanwhile, wash and trim the courgette, pepper and mushrooms, then slice them. Slice the Emmental and Mozzarella.
-
7
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
-
8
Layer the bake.
Spread one third of the pasta and mince mixture into the baking dish. Distribute half of the vegetables and Mozzarella on top.
-
9
Bake and serve.
Repeat with the next layer in the same way. Finish with the remaining pasta and mince mixture, scatter the Emmental on top and bake for 35 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven.
Nutrition per serving
Why the pasta stays firm after 2 minutes
The spirelli are mixed at 100°C in reverse direction at speed 1 for just 2 minutes with the tomatoes, stock and seasoning. That is not enough time to cook them through. The pasta stays firm in the centre.
That is intentional. In the oven the spirelli cook for a further 35 minutes at 180°C, absorbing the liquid from the tomato sauce and vegetables. If we cooked them through beforehand, they would be mushy after baking.
Reverse direction prevents the pasta from being chopped by the blades. Speed 1 keeps the heat steady without breaking up the tomato sauce.
Brown the mince separately rather than layering it raw
The mixed mince is cooked directly in the mixing bowl after the onions have been softened. 5 minutes at Varoma and speed 1 in reverse direction is enough to cook the meat through without it sticking to the base.
Raw mince layered into the bake would release grey liquid and water down the tomato sauce. By browning it first in the Thermomix®, the proteins set, the fat renders out and the flavour develops.
Reverse direction at Varoma temperature keeps the mince in small pieces rather than turning it into a paste.
Slice the vegetables while the Thermomix® runs
While the pasta simmers in the mixing bowl with the mince sauce, slice the courgette, pepper and mushrooms. This can be done in parallel because the Thermomix® needs no attention during those 2 minutes.
Important: the vegetable slices should be roughly the same thickness. If the mushrooms are thinner than the courgette, they will dry out in the oven before the courgette is cooked through.
Slice the Emmental and Mozzarella rather than grating them. Grated cheese melts too quickly and forms a dense layer of fat. Slices melt more slowly and let steam through.
The one-third, half, one-third layering method
The baking dish is filled in three layers: one third of the pasta and mince mixture on the bottom, then half the vegetables and Mozzarella, followed by the second third of pasta, the second half of vegetables and Mozzarella, and finally the last third of pasta topped with the Emmental as a lid.
The Mozzarella in the middle layers keeps the vegetables moist. The Emmental on top forms the crust because it contains less water and does not run as much as Mozzarella under heat.
If you used Mozzarella as the top layer, it would turn liquid in the oven and drip off the surface. Emmental gives a firm, golden-brown crust.
Baking at 180°C fan on the middle shelf
The dish goes onto the middle shelf of the preheated oven. 180°C fan distributes heat more evenly than top and bottom heat alone. With top and bottom heat only, the crust would brown faster before the pasta in the centre has cooked through.
After 35 minutes the cheese layer is golden brown and the pasta has absorbed all the liquid. If the crust starts browning too much before the time is up, lay a sheet of foil loosely on top.
Leave the bake to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. This allows the layers to settle and the cheese to hold together when portioning.
Leftovers the next day
Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge, covered. To reheat, put in the oven at 160°C for 10 minutes so the cheese layer melts again and the bake does not dry out.
Freezing works well in individual portions in freezer containers. Bake from frozen at 180°C for around 40 minutes, covered with foil, so the surface does not burn.
More pizza-inspired recipes
Goes well with: baguette, Parmesan and soured cream.
Also try our Thermomix® pizza dough, pizza rolls, pizza pot, pizza swirls, Turkish pizza and pizza bread rolls. Another favourite bake is the pasta bake with tomato and Mozzarella.
