Gluten Free Vegan Italian Pasta Casserole

When my husband isn’t home for dinner, I often just throw any ingredients in a pan and go for it. I don’t need meat every night. This is my favorite out of all of my gluten freeĀ pasta recipes, and it happens to be gluten freeĀ vegan.Ā The other night I went in my pantry for dog food when I spotted a jar of artichoke hearts and immediately thought of some with pasta, along with red bell pepper. The rest is history. I used just about every Italian ingredient I could get my hands on in my kitchen to create an authentic gluten free Italian recipe. It’s something that I knew must already exist; however, I had no name for it. That’s all I knew was I would be happy to pay for this in a fine restaurant as a main dish. I could eat this every night, if needed. Loved it! Let me know how you like it, if you give it a try. It may be used as a main dish or a side dish. Mangia! (Italian for “eat!”)

Homemade Dairy Free Parmesan Substitute

Gluten-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Casserole

Yield: Serves 2

Gluten-Free Vegan Italian Pasta Casserole

A wonderful, Italian dish that very easy to make and flavorful. A great recipe to add to your gluten free dinner recipes for weeknights.

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz. gluten-free brown rice spaghetti or pasta of your choosing
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut into pieces
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
  • 2" of basil paste (or 10 large fresh basil leaves, finely chopped or pureed) (or 1 Tablespoon dried sauteed with bell pepper)
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts marinaded in water, halved
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • Parmesan and Romano cheese, grated (or dairy-free - see above link), (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Boil filtered water and a dash of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil); bring to a boil.
  2. Add pasta of your choosing; stir; and lower to medium heat.
  3. Saute bell pepper in a preheated, preoiled pan on medium-high heat; stir; cook for about 5 minutes. Don't worry if it browns a bit, as it adds a roasted flavor.
  4. Add in garlic and basil; stir well; add in artichoke hearts; toss gently until all is warm.
  5. Drain pasta, add to frying pan with vegetables; add additional oil, if desired, just enough to coat the pasta; toss gently.
  6. Serve warm and top with grated cheese, if desired.

Tips

(1) If using basil paste, it most likely will already contain plenty of salt, therefore, taste before salting. Using basil paste will raise the sodium content quite a bit. If no fresh basil or paste is available, add 1 Tablespoon dried basil to the oil before adding bell pepper. (2) Suggested brands of brown rice pasta: Trader Joe's, Jovial and Tinkyada. I used Jovial spaghetti and boiled it for about 16 minutes (I like my soft, far from al dente.) (3) This recipe has plenty of flavor, therefore, cheese is definitely optional. (4) You may always add meat or egg, if you wish some additional protein. Of course, this is not applicable for vegans or vegetarians.

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