Veggie Baked Penne
Did you know that this was my first time making baked pasta?
Well now you do!
I really like this recipe since it's a Giada and I think it's pretty healthy as far as pasta dishes go!
It's loaded with chopped vegetables, which I absolutely loved to cut! Is that weird?
Also I'm pretty sure it's a summer/fall dish since it has summer squash and zucchini in it, but it's okay. I still got the squashes and zucchinis.
One thing I thought was kind of funny about this was that it has 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese in it but it didn't seem overly pasta-casserole-cheesy. Which I suppose is a good thing.
I would totally make this again, but I think I would probably half it since I filled up a 9x13 and an 8x8! Holy cow it made a lot of pasta!
But good times it wasn't all pasta! It was probably half pasta half veggies, or maybe even more like 40:60!
One thing I wasn't sure about was how it said they were roasted vegetables but then I was supposed to bake them. And they didn't get all roast-y brown and stuff. They just kind of got cooked. Probably next time I would broil instead of bake.
I got to try two new cheeses! I had never had fontina or smoked mozzarella before, and I really liked the fontina! It didn't seem to have a very strong taste or smell which I enjoyed. The smoked mozzarella was a little too smokey for me but I guess that's what makes it different from normal mozzarella. And I also put in some leftover shredded mozzarella we had sitting in the fridge.
The cheeses were also really nice to shred! They were soft and buttery, but not crumbly. I do not like crumbly cheeses. They freak me out.
Recipe (from Giada De Laurentiis):
I really like this recipe since it's a Giada and I think it's pretty healthy as far as pasta dishes go!
It's loaded with chopped vegetables, which I absolutely loved to cut! Is that weird?
Also I'm pretty sure it's a summer/fall dish since it has summer squash and zucchini in it, but it's okay. I still got the squashes and zucchinis.
One thing I thought was kind of funny about this was that it has 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese in it but it didn't seem overly pasta-casserole-cheesy. Which I suppose is a good thing.
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| This cheese is so fancy! |
But good times it wasn't all pasta! It was probably half pasta half veggies, or maybe even more like 40:60!
One thing I wasn't sure about was how it said they were roasted vegetables but then I was supposed to bake them. And they didn't get all roast-y brown and stuff. They just kind of got cooked. Probably next time I would broil instead of bake.
I got to try two new cheeses! I had never had fontina or smoked mozzarella before, and I really liked the fontina! It didn't seem to have a very strong taste or smell which I enjoyed. The smoked mozzarella was a little too smokey for me but I guess that's what makes it different from normal mozzarella. And I also put in some leftover shredded mozzarella we had sitting in the fridge.
The cheeses were also really nice to shred! They were soft and buttery, but not crumbly. I do not like crumbly cheeses. They freak me out.
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| Pre Bake |
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| Post Bake |
2 red peppers
2 zucchini
2 summer squash
1 yellow onion
Enough olive oil for roasting the vegetables
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix (or herbs de Provence)
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (1 jar)
2 zucchini
2 summer squash
1 yellow onion
Enough olive oil for roasting the vegetables
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix (or herbs de Provence)
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (1 jar)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
Grated Parmesan for topping
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Cut the squash and zucchini into about 1 inch cubes and the peppers and onions into strips. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.
While they're cooking, cook the pasta. The pasta box says to cook for 12ish minutes but we want it cooked for 6-7 minutes since it'll cook in the oven as well.
Grate the cheeses as the pasta and vegetables are cooking.
After everything is done, combine in a large pot the pasta, sauce, vegetables including peas, and cheeses. Mix as well as you can and pour into your (buttered) baking dish. Smooth out the top and grate on some Parmesan cheese. Dot with small squares of butter. Bake at 450 for about 25 minutes.
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Cut the squash and zucchini into about 1 inch cubes and the peppers and onions into strips. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.
While they're cooking, cook the pasta. The pasta box says to cook for 12ish minutes but we want it cooked for 6-7 minutes since it'll cook in the oven as well.
Grate the cheeses as the pasta and vegetables are cooking.
After everything is done, combine in a large pot the pasta, sauce, vegetables including peas, and cheeses. Mix as well as you can and pour into your (buttered) baking dish. Smooth out the top and grate on some Parmesan cheese. Dot with small squares of butter. Bake at 450 for about 25 minutes.
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