Fredericksburg.com

Basic Info

Title:

Three-cheese baked pasta

Rating:

Source:

Cooking Light

Notes:

There are plenty of baked pasta recipes out there that are simpler than this, but the variety of vegetables and cheeses and the addition of sun-dried tomatoes give this one a flavor that will set it apart. Once you get past the chopping, it’s not hard to assemble.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups diced onion
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (28-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg white, lightly
beaten
1 pound uncooked penne rigate
1 cup (4 oz.) diced provolone cheese

Procedure:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook 10 minutes, or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, crushed red pepper and diced tomatoes. Cook 25 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Combine 1 cup of the Romano, ricotta, parsley and egg white in a bowl. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add ricotta mixture, stirring to coat. Add tomato mixture and provolone, tossing just until combined. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining Romano cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly and the top is browned.

Servings:

8 servings

Cook Time:

55 minutes

Run Date:

2008/12/03