Veggie pasta bake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Wash and cut the mushrooms into quarters and sauté with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (fry with occasional movement/stirring/tossing) in a large hot pan for 5 minutes to lightly brown. Whilst they brown and you occasionally shake and stir the mushrooms, peel and finely slice the onion.
3. Add the sliced onion to cook for 2 minutes, then add the spinach to the mushroom and onion pan too. Cook for a further 2 minutes so that the spinach wilts (using a lid to trap in steam sometimes helps), then remove from heat and put to one side.
4. Heat a large pan of water to the boil and add salt if you prefer. Tip in the pasta, stir and reheat to a rapid boil to cook the pasta as per packet directions, but for 1 minute less, then drain and reserve.
5. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the flour to form a paste, stirring for a minute to cook. Slowly add the milk, continuously stirring and only adding more milk when what you have in the pan is smooth and bubbling. Bring to a gentle simmer and bubble for 1 minute. You can always use a whisk if yours is lumpy.
6. Take the sauce off of the heat and stir in the grated cheese and season to taste.
7. Blitz up the bread, peeled clove of garlic and herbs in a food processor to form the crust. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and season to taste.
8. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and veg to coat, then pour into an oven dish.
9. Top with the breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbly, then serve.