italian vegetarian main

A knockout dinner for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this rigatoni cake makes a glorious centrepiece for the table. Looking for more Italian vegetarian recipes? Take a look at this cannelloni and Swiss chard dish.

Rigatoni cake

Butter

Breadcrumbs

rigatoni pasta

basil leaves, finely chopped

hard mozzarella,

For the tomato sauce

olive oil

garlic clove, bashed

plum tomatoes

basil leaves,

You’ll also need…

20cm round, loose-bottomed

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease the prepared tin with butter and coat the base with breadcrumbs.

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and sweat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and basil leaves, season with salt, then cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end of cooking, discard the garlic.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente. Drain well and mix together with the chopped basil, half the mozzarella cubes, some black pepper, half the tomato sauce and half the grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative. Leave to cool slightly until you can handle the pasta.

Arrange the rigatoni standing upright in the prepared tin until you have filled the entire tin. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce, scatter with the remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the tin, slide onto a plate and serve scattered with the extra basil leaves and parmesan. This recipe is is from Gennaro&#8217;s Pasta Perfecto! Published by Pavilion Books. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gennaros-Pasta-Perfecto-essential-collection/dp/1911624377/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pasta+perfecto+gennaro&amp;qid=1566836146&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1 >Grab yourself a copy here.

A guaranteed crowd pleaser, this vegetarian pasta dish is made all the richer with the addition of castelluccio lentils and garlicky mushrooms. Make the recipe vegan by omitting the optional grated cheese. On the search for more Italian vegetarian recipes? Take a look at our bumper collection. 

Penne with lentils and mushrooms

castelluccio lentils (see Know-how)

dried penne pasta

garlic cloves, peeled

chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

passataApple-converted-space

parsley

Cook the lentils in boiling water according to the pack instructions until tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring another large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente.

At the same time, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic cloves and fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic cloves. Add the passata and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the cooked lentils, then stir into the tomato and mushroom sauce.

Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and mix to combine. Stir in the grated cheese (if using), then remove from the heat and serve sprinkled with a little chopped parsley. This recipe is is from Gennaro&#8217;s Pasta Perfecto! Published by Pavilion Books. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gennaros-Pasta-Perfecto-essential-collection/dp/1911624377/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pasta+perfecto+gennaro&amp;qid=1566836146&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1 >Grab yourself a copy here.

If you want to serve a crowdpleaser of a dish, pansotti &#8211; triangular pasta &#8211; is a wise choice. Gennaro Conaldo&#8217;s recipe combines swiss chard with a desirably nutty walnut sauce, making an impressive vegetarian main. If you like the sound of this, take a look at this rigatoni cake recipe. 

Ligurian swiss chard pansotti in walnut sauce

Italian ‘00’ pasta flour, sifted

water

medium free-range egg, beaten

For the filling

swiss or rainbow chard

garlic

ricotta

thyme

For the walnut sauce

bread

milk

walnut halves

garlic clove, peeledApple-converted-space

thyme leaves

pine nutsApple-converted-space

Pasta machine, food processor

To make the pasta dough, put the flour into a large mixing bowl or heap on a clean work surface. Make a well in the centre, add the water and mix well to form a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until required.

To make the filling, wash the chard, then remove the stalks (keep them for another recipe). Roughly chop the leaves and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat, add the garlic clove and sweat for 1 minute. Add the chard and some salt, lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.

Remove from the heat, discard the garlic, then drain and squeeze any excess liquid from the chard – you may have to squeeze it between your hands to do this well. In a large bowl, combine the chard with the ricotta, grated cheese, thyme leaves, beaten egg and some black pepper.

Roll out the pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface until wafer-thin (or run it through the thinnest setting on a pasta machine). Cut the dough into 7cm squares, then brush each with beaten egg.

Put a little filling in the middle of each square, then fold over the dough to form a triangle and press to seal, making sure to remove any air.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pansotti and cook for about 4 minutes.

To make the sauce, soak the bread in the milk for a minute to soften, then put with the rest of the sauce ingredients into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Transfer to a large frying pan and heat through.

Drain the pansotti with a slotted spoon and add to the walnut sauce with a little of the hot pasta cooking water, mixing well to combine. Heat through and serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh thyme. This recipe is is from Gennaro&#8217;s Pasta Perfecto! Published by Pavilion Books. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gennaros-Pasta-Perfecto-essential-collection/dp/1911624377/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pasta+perfecto+gennaro&amp;qid=1566836146&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-1 >Grab yourself a copy here.

Top 3 italian vegetarian main recipes from across the web

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Rigatoni cake

Penne with lentils and mushrooms

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Top 3 italian vegetarian main recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian vegetarian main recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Rigatoni cake

Penne with lentils and mushrooms

Ligurian swiss chard pansotti in wa...

The most viewed italian vegetarian main recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine