I heart Giada

I was watching Everyday Italian again. No dessert for the ladies this time, but Giada was making a delicious looking Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables. While I'm watching, I'm sitting there wondering why on earth did I not think of that. It has pasta, cheese, and veggies. Three of my favorite things. Why couldn't I add some marinara sauce and call it dinner? It's a simple dish that doesn't take much to make it husband friendly (aka lactose free), and point friendly.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables (8 servings at 4 points a piece) recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (w/ a few modifications)

Ingredients

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
butter flavored cooking spray
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup grated part skim mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with cooking spray 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, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, 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. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

Some of the exposed pasta pieces got rather crunchy, so I would recommend covering the dish when baking. Besides the crunchy pieces, the dish was delicious. I like the taste that the roasted vegetables added. The husband was a big fan and said I have to make it again sometime soon.

If you would like the original recipe you can find it at the Food Network. As you can see if you compare the two, I only made a few omissions/modifications to make it point friendly and more to our liking.