Wholewheat penne in tomato and spinach sauce, finished with mozzarella. A vegetarian pasta meal made in the Thermomix.
50 minuntil ready
10 minhands-on for base batch
1 portionone main-meal portion
1 batchalso works cold
The sauce and pasta use the same Thermomix bowl in sequence. Allow 50 minutes for one batch; longer pasta packet times add to this. Cook the frozen spinach fully.
Method
Cook the tomato and spinach sauce
For four portions, use half of every listed quantity for each batch. Put the tomatoes, frozen spinach and crushed garlic for this batch into the Thermomix bowl. Fit the blade and lid; rest the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup. Cook 15 minutes / 100°C / reverse / speed 1. Stop and check the spinach is separated and steaming hot throughout; follow any longer packet time. Transfer the sauce to a covered serving bowl.
Heat the pasta water
After the sauce is set aside, rinse the Thermomix bowl. Add the measured water for this batch: 600 ml per portion, up to 1200 ml for two portions. Fit the blade and lid, with the simmering basket resting on top instead of the measuring cup. Heat 12 minutes / 100°C / speed 1, normal blade direction. Check it has reached 100°C before adding pasta; extend by 1–2 minutes if necessary. Stay below the 2.2 litre MAX line.
Cook and drain
Stop the blades. Add the dry wholewheat penne for this batch directly to the water, then refit the lid and place the simmering basket on top. Cook for the packet time / 100°C / reverse / speed 1; the reference penne takes 9 minutes. Check a piece and extend by 1 minute if needed. Stop before opening, lift the lid away from you and drain carefully through the Varoma dish over the sink. Do not touch escaping steam.
Finish the sauce
Return the sauce to the empty Thermomix bowl. Refit the lid with the simmering basket on top and heat 3 minutes / 100°C / reverse / speed 1, or until steaming hot. Stop and pour over the drained pasta. Tear the drained mozzarella into small pieces, fold through in the serving bowl and divide equally.
Make it lunch tomorrow
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within two hours. Eat within 24 hours, or sooner if an ingredient label requires it. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Thermomix bowl, simmering basket, Varoma dish, serving bowl and spoon.
Appliance settings
Settings are per batch. For 1 portion, prepare 1 batch. Split the ingredient totals between batches; keep the settings the same. Timings are starting estimates unless the programme sets them automatically.
Thermomix
Fit the mixing blade and lid. At 100°C, rest the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup. Drain pasta in the Varoma dish; do not fit a blade cover. Keep below MAX.
3 min / 100°C / reverse / speed 1; check it is steaming hot.
At most two portions per batch. Repeat the full sequence for four portions; never double a batch beyond 1200 ml water and 200 g dry pasta. Times are starting estimates.
Estimated nutrition per portion and for the selected portions
Nutrient
Per portion
Total for 1
Calories
519 kcal
519 kcal
Carbs
72.8 g
72.8 g
Fat
9.6 g
9.6 g
Protein
32.0 g
32.0 g
Fibre
10.7 g
10.7 g
Copy macros includes the total for 1 portion. Estimates use ingredient weights in the stated preparation state. Optional extras are excluded; packet values may differ. How these are calculated
Reference values and assumptions
Wholewheat penne, dry. Weigh dry. This reference uses 100% wholewheat penne; cooked-weight and other packet values differ. Source
Reduced-fat mozzarella, drained. Reference values are per 100 g as sold, drained. Choose a product with no more than 9 g fat and at least 20 g protein per 100 g. Other packets may differ. Source
Garlic. Fibre uses the Matvaretabellen reference for garlic raw; the other values retain the CoFID estimate. Source
Recipe notes
The timing uses the reference penne; follow your packet and check texture before draining.
Pasta nutrition uses dry weight, and mozzarella uses drained weight. Cooking water contributes no energy and is discarded.
Use reduced-fat mozzarella with the stated reference profile. Ordinary mozzarella would increase the fat estimate. Drain well before adding.
