Saturday, February 16, 2008

What's Cooking


Here's one of our fave pasta recipes we recently cooked and wanted to share:

Baked Penne w/ Roasted Vegetables - this is a great dish that's easy to make!
Prep: 25 mins; Cook: 40 mins; Yields: 6 servings

(2) - Zucchini, quartered lenghtwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
(2) - Red Peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
(2) - Summer Squash (since it's winter now, we do more zucchini), quartered
lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
(4) - Cremini Mushrooms, halved (we always add more mushrooms though)
(1) - Yellow Onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
(1/4) cup - extra virgin olive oil
(1) teaspoon - Salt
(1) teaspoon - Ground Black Pepper, divided
(1) tablespoon - Dried Italian herb mix or Herbs de Provence
(1) pound - Penne (preferably whole wheat)
(3) cups - Marinara Sauce
(1.5) cups - Frozen peas, thawed
(1) cup - Grated Fontina cheese*
(1/2) cup - Grated Mozarella*
(1/4) cup - Grated Parmesan*, plus 1/3 for topping
(2) tablespoons - Butter*, cut into small pieces

*We don't do ANY cheese or butter to make it vegan and healthier, and it turns out wonderful!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions w/ olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender - about 15 mins.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook for about 6 mins. Pasta will be cooked a 2nd time in oven so make sure the inside of pasta is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In large bowl, toss drained pasta w/ roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses (if doing), peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use a wooden spoon to gently mix this until all the pasta is coated w/ sauce and ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top w/ remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter (if doing either)...Bake until top is golden and cheese (if doing) melts, about 25 mins.

Enjoy!

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