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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Start the oven preheating now to 180C / 360F.
  5. Take the sauce off the heat and stir the cream through.
    60 ml double / heavy cream.
  6. Mix the pasta through the sauce and set aside.
  7. Lightly fry the halloumi until slightly golden on each side (you don’t need it too dark for this recipe).
    250 g halloumi
  8. Add the halloumi and cherry tomatoes to the dish with the pasta and mix through.
    150 g cherry tomatoes
  9. 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
  10. Cover with mozzarella and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
    200 g shredded mozzarella
  11. Serve with additional fresh tomatoes on top, if desired.