Halloumi Pasta Bake with Cherry Tomatoes
An easy, delicious pasta bake with a creamy tomato sauce, soft cubes of halloumi cheese, and sweet juicy cherry tomatoes - sure to be a crowd pleaser for the whole family! Halloumi is an ideal protein to make this vegetarian pasta bake extra hearty, and it is a flexible base recipe that you can add your family's favorite veggies to.
Ingredients
- 250 g (9 oz) penne pasta, or another short pasta shape
- 250 g (9 oz) halloumi, cubed
- 150 g (5 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 500 g (2 cups) passata, see notes
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp mixed Italian herbs
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) double / heavy cream
- 1 handful basil, chopped
- 200 g (2 cups) shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the garlic until just softening. Add the herbs and mix through.6 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp mixed Italian herbs
- Add the passata, balsamic vinegar, sugar and butter. Stir through until the butter is all melted in. Now allow this to simmer, covered, while you prep the remaining ingredients.500 g passata, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 30 g butter
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions, but drain it a couple of minutes before it's fully cooked (it will continue to cook in the sauce while it's baking, so this helps ensure it's not over-done). Drain and set aside briefly while you return to the sauce.250 g penne pasta
- Start the oven preheating now to 180C / 360F.
- Take the sauce off the heat and stir the cream through.60 ml double / heavy cream
- Mix the pasta through the sauce and set aside.
- Lightly fry the halloumi until slightly golden on each side (you don't need it too dark for this recipe).250 g halloumi
- Add the halloumi and cherry tomatoes to the dish with the pasta and mix through.150 g cherry tomatoes
- Finally, add the fresh basil (this is also where you would add spinach, frozen peas or kale, if you're adding any of these veggies)1 handful basil
- Cover with mozzarella and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling.200 g shredded mozzarella
- Serve with additional fresh tomatoes on top, if desired.
Notes
Passata is generally known as tomato puree in the US.
Calories: 505kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 774mg, Potassium: 576mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1077IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 640mg, Iron: 3mg