I discovered this recipe during my quest to find a baked pasta dish that wasn’t lasagna or baked ziti. No offense to either of those dishes (I love them both), but I wanted to make a pasta dish that didn’t include any meat or tons of ricotta cheese. I was watching the Food Network Channel one day and saw an episode of Everyday Italian with Giada. She made it look super easy to prepare and so yummy! So I decided to give it a try.

Michael was a little skeptical the first time I made this dish because there wasn’t any meat in it; however, he was pleasantly surprised after taking a few bites. There are just so many different flavors in the dish, ranging from the herbs de Provence in the roasted vegetables to the melted smoked mozzarella, that your taste buds are surprisingly satisfied. After playing around with the recipe a few times, I made a few tweaks to make it even more perfect for my own taste buds :). I portioned the recipe to make about four “normal” servings; however, Michael and I nearly finished the dish after one sitting ;). The leftovers taste even better the next day, but you can definitely separate the pasta into two portions before baking. Simply put one portion in a baking dish for today and freeze the other portion in an airtight container to bake another day.

Recipe
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch wide strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp. herbs de Provence
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
freshly ground black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. penne pasta
2 cups marinara sauce
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozarella
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, plus 3 tbsp. for topping
1 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss vegetables with olive oil, dried herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Drain in a colander. Don’t boil pasta longer because you will still need to bake in the oven.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and cheese. Gently toss to evenly combine and pour into a greased baking dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and butter pieces. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.