Roasted Vegetable Penne Bake

This is a recipe that incorporates roasted vegetables, penne rigate, pasta sauce, some pepper jack cheese and is topped with some breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to give it a crunchy topping. This is a variation of a Ziti recipe - less cheesy, less tomatoey and has a lot more vegetables which is the way we like it at home. Baking the entire pasta dish give it a nice chewy texture, with a tangy coating of tomatoes and vegetables.

ROASTED VEGETABLE PENNE BAKE

Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables - 2 cups (Recipe Here)
Penne Rigate - 8 oz (dry) (or any other tubular pasta)
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves, chopped
Onion - 1/2, chopped fine
Tomato - 1 to 2 medium, chopped fine
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried Italian Herbs - 1/2 tsp
Light Pepper Jack Cheese - 4 oz
Parmesan Cheese - 1 to 2 oz
Whole wheat bread - 2 to 3 slices
Margarine or Butter - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Cook the Penne in plenty of lightly salted water until slightly more cooked than al-dente (this will ensure that it doesn't get too chewy when baked later)

2. In a pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil and saute garlic, onions till soft. Then add chopped tomatoes, salt, chilli powder and dried italian herbs. Once the tomatoes soften a bit, add about 1/2 cup water and let it cook some more. Keep the pasta sauce aside. Alternatively, you can skip this step and use store bought pasta sauce instead.

3. In a mixie, powder the bread slices until crumbly. Mix with 1 tbsp of softened butter and the grated parmesan cheese.

4. In a big bowl, combine the cooked pasta, roasted vegetables, pasta sauce and shredded pepper jack cheese.

5. Butter a large baking dish (9 x 13) with the tsp of butter. Spread the above mix onto the baking dish and top with the breadcrumb mixture.

6. Put in a pre-heated oven at 400 degree F and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts and the top is golden brown.

7. Let cool slightly before digging in. Serve with a salad for a great meal.