Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Tonight's meal is a great mix of color, textures and flavors.  It is packed with healthy vegetables. Using only a drizzle of olive oil and only 2 T. butter, do not shy away from this as a healthy choice!  I divided this into 2 casseroles to take half into my daughter for their dinner.  The entire recipe would be ideal for a pot luck dinner if you needed a healthy choice.  Unlike many cheesy pasta dishes this is not overly creamy and cheesy. This actually uses less than a typical 2 cup package of shredded cheese. I suppose you could add any meat you like, however, with the vegetables cut in chunks we didn't miss having meat at all.


Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
printable recipe

2 red peppers, cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered and cut in 1-inch cubes
2 yellow squash, quartered and cut in 1-inch cubes
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, halved
1 onion, sliced in 1-inch strips
olive oil
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
1 T. herbs de Provence
1 lb. pasta of choice
3 c. pasta sauce
1 c. grated fontina cheese
1/2 c. grated mozzarella
1-1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
1/4 c. grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 c. for topping
2 T. butter cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onion on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and the herbs.  Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes.  Do not over cook; you will continue to cook in the oven.  Drain.
In a large bowl, toss the pasta and the roasted vegetables.

Mix the sauce, cheeses, peas, and the remaining salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix until the pasta is well coated.

Pour the pasta into a greased casserole.  Top with the 1/3 c. Parmesan and the butter pieces.

Bake until top is golden and the cheese melted, about 25 minutes.