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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables






Melanie over at the Sister's Cafe was just posting about how she is trying to feed her family more vegetarian meals. It reminded me of this delicious meal we had over the summer. This meal is perfect if you're looking for a healthy meal to use up more garden vegetables. It's just a light, delicious and vegetable filled pasta dish mixed with marina and of course cheese! I love Smoked Mozzarella but both Fontina and Smoked Mozzarella can get pretty pricey and are sometimes hard to find. You could easily substitute Gruyere, provolone, regular mozzarella or a good Italian mixture. This is a meal that tastes great and you can feel good about feeding to your family.



Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Giada De Laurentiis


2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta (to make it even more healthy use Barilla Plus Pasta)
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.


Posted by: Sallie

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