Wow! This post was written in 2015! One of my earliest posts. And this veggie filled carbonara bake is so underrated! It is one of the best family meals we ever have. The kids always eat it, leftovers go in the thermos for school and it’s just so delicious!
So I thought I would redo the photos and get some life back into this post! Because I think you need this veggie filled carbonara bake in your life!
Here is the original post:
When I’m picking up Miss 4 from preschool I never know what kind of mood she will be in…overtired and overexcited are two regular options. So I prefer wherever possible to have dinner prepared before I go to collect her. It avoids all out war. This veggie filled carbonara bake is an option that never fails to satisfy both the hunger and the desire for something familiar.
Pasta is always a dish that convinces the mini Kidgredients to eat and I have to admit I’m a fan myself. Using wholemeal pasta means this is more filling than using plain durum wheat pasta. Gluten free pasta works in this too, just make sure it is only al dente when added to the other ingredients as it could end up very soft.
Adapt as you need- this can have other veg that you prefer and would be delicious with grated cauliflower and chopped broccoli or even with asparagus and chopped zucchini. The bacon could also be switched for cooked chicken breast. Or that matter shredded cooked chicken (I’ve done it with leftover roast from the night before).
You want to make sure that the top of the bake ends up nice and crunchy, so if the ten minutes without the foil on top doesn’t achieve that for you…leave it in a bit longer. It’s the crunch that I love the most about this. It’s one of the best parts of dishing it up….you can accidentally swipe a few extra crunchy bits as they accidentally get stuck to the dish….
This veggie filled carbonara bake is ideal to prepare during naptime or whilst your mini ones are distracted. It doesn’t take long and then dinner will only take 20 minutes in the oven!
More pasta meals the whole family will love?
Try this tuna puttanesca, perfect for a quick weeknight meal! Or this delicious mexican lasagne, that the whole family loves.
Veggie filled carbonara bake
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini grated
- 300 grams wholemeal pasta cooked and drained
- 1 carrot grated
- 3 rashers bacon finely chopped
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 eggs
- 300 ml cream
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- In a frypan over medium heat fry the bacon in the olive oil until golden.
- Add the garlic and cook a minute longer.
- Add the bacon and garlic to the cooked pasta with all the veg and stir in a large baking dish.
- In a jug whisk the eggs with the cream. Add the parmesan and 1 cup of the cheddar.
- Stir this through the pasta.
- (IF YOU'RE PREPARING EARLY IN THE DAY:stop here and refrigerate).
- Top the lot with the extra cheddar.
- Cover with foil.
- Put it in a preheated oven (200 degrees) for ten minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes more or until golden.
Paula Brousseau says
hi what can we do to substitute this cream? Is it heavy cream?
kidgredients says
In Australia we have: pure cream, thickened cream and double cream.
I’ve used pure cream- I guess it’s single or pouring cream?