Mediterranean Baked Penne Recipes

BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water just until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Stir in marinara sauce and toss to coat.
• In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; stir to combine.
• Layer half of the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta. Spoon the remaining pasta over the ricotta. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.
• Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes (or until hot and bubbly).

BEST VEGETARIAN BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When ready, add the pasta and cook to al dante according to package. When ready, drain pasta but save about 1/2 cup cooking water.
• While the pasta is cooking , cook the vegetables. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes or so, tossing regularly, then add diced zucchini, bell pepper, and garlic. Raise heat to medium-high and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, tossing regularly, until vegetables have softened and cooked through. Season with kosher salt, oregano and paprika. Sit aside till needed.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup grated Paremsan and 3 tbsp Mozzarella. Mix well. (If needed, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to help mix the cheese)
• Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, bring it back to the cooking pot. Add 1/2 of the marinara sauce and starchy cooking water you reserved (1/2 cup). Mix well to coat the pasta with the sauce. Fold in the ricotta cheese filling. Mix again to combine, but leave some big "pockets" of the cheese mixture.
• Grab a 9 1/2" x 13" casserole dish. Pour a little marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish, spread. Spread half the pasta. Now add the cooked vegetables and some of the torn basil on top and spread well across the pasta layer. Sprinkle a little bit of shredded mozzarella on top (leave more mozzarella for very top layer.) Add remaining pasta. Spread remaining marinara sauce on top and add remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Place the casserole dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let rest about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting through. garnish with fresh basil.

BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brown meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella: cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly.
• Spoon into 2-qt. casserole; top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 15 min.

BAKED PENNE WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

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

PASTA ALLA NORMA RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice and Salt the Eggplant. Trim the eggplant and partially peel them in a striped pattern (zebra pattern). Slice them into ½ inch thick rounds. Season the eggplant slices with kosher salt on both sides and lay them flat for a few minutes (up to 30 minutes if you have the time). Wipe the eggplant dry and remove excess salt using a paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Roast the eggplant. Brush the bottom of a large sheet pan (or two) with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in the pans in one single layer (eggplant slices should not overlap, each should be comfortably touching the bottom of the sheet pan). Roast in the heated oven until deeply golden brown, anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, turning over mid-way through.
• Make the Sauce. Meanwhile, get going on the sauce. In a large deep pan, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, lower the heat and cook, tossing regularly, until the garlic gains a little bit of color. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then lower the heat and let simmer briefly.
• When ready, add the roasted eggplant to sauce. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions (mine took about 11 minutes). Drain and combine the pasta with the eggplant and sauce (if needed, add a little bit of the pasta water and toss until the pasta is well-coated). Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add chopped parsley and grated ricotta salata cheese to finish.

MEDITERRANEAN PENNE

Steps:

• In a large pot, cook penne according to package directions.
• (I sometimes like to add vegetable boullion to the water during cooking to give the penne a little extra flavor); Drain and set aside.
• In a large wok style pan combine onions, peppers, garlic and Italian herbs with olive oil and sauteé until tender crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Mix in the kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes, cook another 2 minutes, or until heated through.
• Add the cooked penne, feta and freshly ground black pepper to the pan and toss gently to mix.
• Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until feta begins to melt.
• Top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

MEDITERRANEAN BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° degrees.
• Lightly oil a 3-quart baking dish or coat it with nonstick spray.
• Coat the dish with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.
• Cut zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, onion and celery into 1/2-inch dice.
• Put a pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Add diced vegetables; saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
• Add wine and stir until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and juice.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, cook penne (or rigatoni) in boiling salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain and rinse well.
• Toss pasta with vegetable mixture and mix in mozzarella.
• (The pasta mixture will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Spoon pasta mixture into prepared baking dish and drizzle eggs evenly over the top.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and parmesan.
• Sprinkle evenly over pasta.
• Bake pasta for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MEDITERRANEAN PENNE PASTA AND BEANS

Steps:

• Cook penne to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning and sugar; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.
• Add spinach; cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring frequently.
• To serve, arrange cooked penne on large serving platter. Top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and olives.

ITALIAN BAKED PENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare pasta as directed on package until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pan.
• While pasta is cooking, heat large skillet, add sausage, onion, and garlic. Saute' until sausage is cooked through. Drain off any grease. Add mushrooms and saute' 3 minutes. Add pepper, italian seasoning and tomatoes to pan. Simmer, stirring occassionally, about 8 minutes.
• Combine sausage mixture to pasta, spinach, mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese.
• Pour into 13x9 glass baking dish. Top casserole with remaining 2/3 cup parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.