Cheesy Veggie Pasta Bake

Prepare your taste buds for an explosion of cheesy awesome goodness!

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional, but delicious!)
• 2 cups water
• 1 smoked sausage, diced (optional)
• 1 lb pasta (any short cut pasta will do, I used multicolor veggie rotini)
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese (optional)
• 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• Cheese for topping (I used smoked provolone & cheddar. Any easy-melting cheese will work nicely, or vegan cheese if you don't consume dairy)

Directions

Place first 14 ingredients (leave out sausage if not using, obvs) into a crock pot. Season well with salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

When sauce is almost done, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, boil a large pot of salted water on high heat. Add pasta and cook only 5 minutes, drain and combine with sauce from the crock pot.

Mix in the cream cheese (if using) and stir well. Add the fresh herbs, stir, and transfer to an oiled casserole dish.

Top with the cheese of your choice and bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Let the casserole stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy! Keep creating that kitchen magic!

xoxo