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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Published: Jan 24, 2017 · Modified: Jun 21, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 43 Comments

    Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb Topping

    4.87 from 23 votes
    JUMP TO RECIPE
    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb Topping is a budget-friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    Pasta dishes tend to be real crowd pleasers and this Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb Topping is no exception. It's cozy, deep dish pasta heaven and the whole family will love it!

    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb Topping is easy enough for a mid week dinner, taking no more than about fifty minutes tops. It is also a fabulous way to give leftover stale bread a new garlicky and delicious lease of life. I don't know about you but we always end up with a few slices that are past their best by the time we get to the end of  a loaf.

    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    How to make Tomato Pasta Bake

    1. Make the sauce (it comes together in minutes)
    2. Cook the pasta in boiling water
    3. Add the crumb topping ingredients to a food processor and blitz until fine
    4. Mix sauce with drained pasta and spoon into a casserole
    5. Sprinkle over the crumbs
    6. And bake!
    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    The tomato sauce is rich and deeply flavoured thanks to the addition of nutritional yeast and balsamic vinegar. Once baked together with the pasta and the garlicky crumbs, the flavours and textures are so good. The top crumbs become crunchy and golden and the ones underneath soak up some of the sauce. It's such a good combo!

    As well as being a great family meal, this recipe is perfect for those times when you are tasked with feeding a crowd. It makes a generously sized casserole full and can be easily doubled or tripled. It can also be made in advance. If you wish to do this, just get it all together in the casserole then refrigerate before the baking stage. When you are ready for it, bake as directed.

    Hello stress free dinner!

    Serve with a nice fresh, crispy salad and if you feel like splurging, a big glass of red wine too!

    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!

    Hungry for more?

    • baked orzo in a white dish
      Baked Vegan Orzo Recipe
    • a bowl of vegan carbonara
      Vegan Carbonara
    • a pan of vegan vodka sauce pasta
      Vegan Vodka Sauce Pasta
    • spaghetti with cherry tomato sauce
      Cherry Tomato Sauce

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe

    tomato pasta bake

    Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb Topping

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.87 from 23 votes
    This Tomato Pasta Bake with Garlicky Crumb topping is a budget friendly, hearty & delicious meal that the whole family will love!
    PRINT PIN SAVE Saved!
    PREP TIME: 20 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes minutes
    Servings 5 servings

    Ingredients
      

    For the pasta

    • 14 oz (400g g) pasta use gluten-free pasta to make gluten-free, fusilli or rigatoni both work well.
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil to make oil-free, just use a few drops of water instead
    • 1 large onion
    • 3 fat cloves of garlic
    • 1 large can (28fl oz/ 796mls) crushed tomatoes , Or passata or blend up a can of diced tomatoes until smooth if that is all you have
    • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
    • 2 teaspoons mixed Italian dried herbs feel free to sub for any dried herbs you like
    • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast adds depth of flavour to the sauce - DO NOT sub for any other type of yeast
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

    For the topping

    • 4 medium cut slices slightly stale bread , Use gluten-free bread to keep the recipe gluten-free
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil , optional but recommended
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
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    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat oven to 400°F
    • Warm the olive oil in a pan then sauté the onions until just turning golden brown. Use a few drops of water instead of the olive if you want to keep this oil-free.
    • Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
    • Add the tomatoes, chili, herbs, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and stir well. Leave to simmer on low while you cook the pasta.
    • Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water until just al-dente.
    • While the pasta is cooking, break the bread up roughly with your hands and add to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and nutritional yeast. Process until fine crumbs. Set aside.
    • Drain pasta then pour the sauce and stir well to combine.
    • Pour the saucy pasta into a large casserole dish, smooth the top a bit with a spoon, then sprinkle over the breadcrumb mixture evenly.
    • Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden and crunchy.

    NOTES

    Leftovers can be reheated in a loose lidded container in the microwave or the oven.

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 780mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2.7mg
    Did you make this recipe?Rate it & leave feedback in the comments section below. I love seeing your remakes too. Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram! 🌟

    Hungry For More?

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      Crispy Baked Zucchini Slices
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Amy Brown says

      December 13, 2021 at 7:46 am

      If I just use bread crumbs, how much would I need? I don’t know how much crumbs five slices of bread make. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        December 13, 2021 at 10:07 am

        I've never measured it in crumbs. It really doesn't have to be exact though. Just eyeball what you think will be enough crumbs to cover the top of your casserole easily.

        Reply
    2. Annie says

      October 10, 2021 at 6:44 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe and I lost the bookmark and I was so upset!!!! Then from the back of my brain, a voice said, “try searching ‘garlicky tomato pasta bake’” and lo and behold I found it again!!

      Seriously we all love this recipe, I am writing it down now, haha

      Reply
    3. Finley says

      March 23, 2021 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      I had a craving for baked ziti and this totally satisfied it. The garlicky bread crumb topping is my new fav! Thank you!!

      Reply
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    Melanie McDonald

    I'm Melanie McDonald (but you can call me Mel), cookbook author and creator of A Virtual Vegan. I share well-tested, flavour-packed vegan recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook amazing vegan comfort food from scratch.

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