This Healthy Pasta Bake is made without a heavy, cream-based sauce. The "secret" ingredient to the creamy, but nutritious, sauce? A can of corn! Blend the sauce, pour it over uncooked pasta, and then let the oven do all the work!
PREP: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
BLEND: Add all the ingredients under the "blend together" heading (corn, seasonings, milk, garlic and flour) to a powerful blender or food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1 tsp fine sea salt and 3/4 tsp pepper). Blend until completely smooth, 1-2 minutes.
BAKE: Add uncooked pasta in an even layer to the prepared pan. Pour everything from the blender on top and toss with pasta. Press the pasta below the sauce. Add butter (cut into 2 pieces) on top. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
BAKE AGAIN: Remove foil, and stir everything together really well. Add in frozen corn, frozen broccoli, and chicken sausage. Stir through. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. (Don't overbake or the sauce will bake out.) Remove from the oven and gently stir for a minute. Add in the Parmesan cheese, several tablespoons at a time, while stirring constantly. (Don't add all at once or it will clump.) Mix in the basil if using (rip into small pieces or cut into ribbons) or top individual plates with a scoop of pesto if desired. Serve immediately!
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Notes
Note 1: Corn: Add the entire can (don't drain or rinse). For a fun flavor variation that we love, use a can of southwestern corn and add 1 teaspoon paprika to the blender -- delish!Note 2: Milk: Any plant-based (or dairy-based) milk that you enjoy works here. We use plain unsweetened almond milk (30 cals per cup) to keep this on the lighter side.Note 3: Pasta: This recipe works best with penne or rotini pasta, which are both great at soaking everything up and baking through perfectly in the time. Ensure whatever pasta is being used has a similar boil time to penne/rotini (9-11 minutes).Note 4: Frozen corn and broccoli: It's important to use both frozen corn and broccoli instead of fresh -- this recipe relies on the liquid from both.Note 5: Chicken sausage: Any smoked sausage works here. We like smoked chicken sausage best (Aidell’s® Italian Style is our fave -- we use 3 links in this recipe). It keeps things nice and healthy and tastes great. Turkey sausage is another fave. Note that we only use 9 ounces of sausage. Most smoked sausage comes in packages of 12-14 ounces, so save what's left for another recipe. If you can't find another use for it, you can add it to this dish -- it works fine, and it will be very meaty!Note 6: Parmesan cheese: Grab a block of Parmesan and grate it on the small holes of a grater. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese. Parmesan from the can will be too salty and won't melt into the sauce nicely.Note 7: Basil or pesto: This dish benefits from fresh basil or a scoop of pesto. Each adds freshness and brightness as well as a great flavor. I'd recommend at least one of these toppings!