Healthy Caprese Pasta Bake
Hey there, caprese band wagon. I am on you.
Caprese is in all the places right now but it's for a good reason: it's delicious! Fresh tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and bright basil are a combination we seem to never tire of. It's a classic. This Healthy Caprese Pasta Bake is just another excuse to enjoy this trio of flavors in a complete, one pot (yep, ONE pot) meal. It all gets stirred together, baked, and served from just one dish. It's a dish-washing-haters miracle! And it's pasta. I could eat pasta all the time and be perfectly fine with that. Are you a GF person? Good news! I made this with brown rice pasta (I recommend Jovial) so you are A-OK! Not eating added sugar? I've got you covered! Have hungry, picky toddlers to feed? Check and done.
I cannot say too many good things about this dish because it really is that good and oh so easy you could make it any night of the week for your entire family.
OK- now that I have that out of my system we can move on for a moment.
If you follow me on facebook, twitter, or instagram you probably know that we spent the past 2 weeks on vacation in Minnesota with my family. It was a wonderful visit. We spent several days as lake bums up near Nisswa, MN. It was a perfect way to enjoy some quality time with my parents without the daily grind getting in the way. We swam (well, I mostly floated on one of those inflatable rafts), ate good food, played Yahtzee and Scrabble, and laughed until we cried. Riley made some new friends at the beach and learned to fish with his daddy. It was perfection.
When we arrived back in Denver on Tuesday it all felt like a dream; almost like we had never left our little house. As the post-vacation feelings settle in and the memories we made begin to pop in and out of my mind, I grow more and more grateful for the time we spent together. There is no shortage of love and that's the truth.
OK- back to this pasta bake. The recipe is based on Jacqueline's Pasta Bake, which Jacqueline of Go Sugar Free shared here on the blog a few months ago. That dish has been a staple for our family for a few reasons but mostly because it's something super healthy that we all love. Can't ask for much more than that, right?
Registration is still going on for the next Go Sugar Free course and Jacqueline is also offering several slots for scholarships. That means, if you get one of the spots, you can take GSF for free! To enter, click here.
And normal registration is open for another week! Lindsay from Pinch of Yum did a great write-up on her experience (along with her husband Bjork) of living sugar free with Jaqueline's help. It is inspiring and, as she says, the experience was much easier than she thought it would be. And she's right.
So, if you're on the fence, or just need more information, here are some things you can do:
If you’re ready to learn more about Go Sugar Free, you can click here. If you decide to register, you’ll be making a massive change in your life that can’t do anything but help you become a better, healthier version of yourself.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Jacqueline’s philosophy but aren’t ready to commit to the GSF course, I urge you to get her eBook, 5 Easy Ways to Look Radiant Tomorrow Morning, and Don’t Waste Produce (DWP) Checklist (this is a HUGE help when it comes to no-waste meal planning and encouraging the consumption of more fresh, whole foods).
*This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
Healthy Caprese Pasta Bake
Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz. box Jovial Brown Rice Pasta or whole grain pasta
- 1 25 oz. jar of tomato basil pasta sauce
- 1⁄2 cup filtered water
- 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 2 teaspoons cold-pressed, unfiltered, extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large, deep baking dish, combine the pasta, tomato sauce and water. The pasta should be nearly covered by the sauce. Stir to combine.
- Bake for 10 minutes, remove the pasta from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. The pasta should be al dente at this point.
- Remove the pasta from the oven and turn the broiler on low.
- Top the pasta with the sliced mozzarella and place under the broiler, cooking until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Serve sprinkled with the basil leaves and drizzled with the olive oil.
