Veggie Bowtie Pasta Freezer Meal Prep

A big bowl of veggie bowtie pasta tastes like you spent the evening at the stove, but the real work happens on a quiet afternoon days or even weeks before.

Zucchini, eggplant and sweet peppers soften in olive oil, then go back into a chunky tomato sauce built on red onion, garlic, fresh basil and a little corn. A splash of balsamic and a grating of lemon zest keep it bright.

Freeze it in blocks and dinner on a busy night is just a matter of melting a couple of them in a skillet and tossing in freshly cooked bowties.

Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Freeze time	4 to 6 hours (hands-off)
Reheat time	About 10 to 12 minutes, straight from frozen
Makes	About 8 sauce portions
Keeps	Up to 3 months in the freezer

Why Cook the Vegetables Separately First

Zucchini and eggplant hold a lot of water. Cooking them on their own in a hot pan lets that water steam off, so they pick up a little color and a sweeter, deeper flavor instead of stewing.

Setting them aside while you build the sauce also keeps them in distinct, tender pieces. Layered into the molds first and topped with sauce, they stay chunky through freezing and reheating rather than collapsing into mush.

The sauce itself freezes beautifully, because there is no cream or cheese to split. It comes back from the freezer tasting just as fresh as the day you made it.

Why Freeze the Sauce and Not the Pasta

Pasta frozen in sauce keeps soaking up liquid, so it reheats soft and the sauce turns dry and pasty. Bowties only take about 11 minutes to boil, so cooking them fresh is easy and makes a big difference.

Freezing the sauce in portion-sized blocks also means you only melt what you need, whether that is one bowl for lunch or enough for the whole family.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 bell peppers (yellow and green), diced
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• A small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (frozen or canned and drained)
• 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, blended smooth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Farfalle (bowtie pasta), 3 to 4 oz per person, cooked fresh at dinnertime

You will also need a large skillet, a silicone freezer mold with 1-cup compartments, and a zip-top freezer bag to store the blocks once they are frozen.

How to Make Veggie Bowtie Pasta

Part 1: Make The Sauce

1. Add The Zucchini To Hot Oil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then add the diced zucchini. A hot pan helps it sear rather than steam.

2. Add The Eggplant

Add the eggplant pieces on top and stir everything together. Eggplant soaks up oil quickly at first, but keep it moving and it will release it again as it softens.

3. Add The Bell Peppers

Tip in the diced yellow and green peppers. Using two colors makes the finished bowl look as good as it tastes.

4. Cook Until Softened

Cook, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden in places. Season with a pinch of salt, then scoop them into a bowl and set aside.

5. Cook The Red Onion

Add the chopped red onion to the same skillet, with a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

6. Add The Garlic

Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for about a minute. Keep it pale, because browned garlic turns bitter.

7. Add The Fresh Basil

Lay the basil leaves on top and stir them in. They wilt in seconds and perfume the whole base of the sauce.

8. Add The Tomatoes And Corn

Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and the corn. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften and release their juices.

9. Pour In The Blended Tomatoes

Pour in the blended canned tomatoes and stir. Add the oregano or Italian seasoning, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

10. Season With Balsamic, Salt And Pepper

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar for a little sweetness and depth, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce has thickened.

11. Finish With Lemon Zest

Grate the lemon zest straight into the pan and give it a final stir. It lifts the tomatoes and keeps the sauce tasting fresh after freezing.

Part 2: Freeze

12. Spoon The Vegetables Into Molds

Let the sauce and the vegetables cool to room temperature. Divide the cooked vegetables between the compartments of a silicone freezer mold.

13. Top With The Sauce

Spoon the tomato sauce over the vegetables until each compartment is full. Cooling everything first stops large ice crystals from forming, which keeps the vegetables from turning watery later.

14. Freeze Until Solid

Freeze for 4 to 6 hours, until the blocks are solid. Pop them out of the mold and store them in a labeled zip-top freezer bag, so your mold is free for the next batch.

These are the 1-cup silicone freezer molds I use to portion every component. Get the freezer molds on Amazon.

How to Reheat and Finish

15. Add The Frozen Blocks To A Skillet

Place 1 frozen block per portion in a skillet. There is no need to thaw them first.

16. Heat With The Lid On, Then Add The Pasta

Cover the skillet and heat over medium-low for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once the blocks start to melt, until the sauce is bubbling and hot all the way through. Meanwhile, cook the farfalle in salted water until al dente, then drain and add it to the sauce.

17. Toss And Serve

Toss the bowties through the sauce until every piece is coated. A splash of the pasta cooking water loosens it if it looks thick. Serve straight away with a crack of black pepper.

Storage and Variations

The sauce blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on the bag. Once the sauce has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it, and keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.

For a heartier bowl, stir in a can of drained chickpeas, some cooked Italian sausage, or a few handfuls of baby spinach at the end. A little grated Parmesan or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes on top is never a bad idea either.