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Baked Vegetable Pasta with Pesto

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zucchini-and-red-pepper-baked-pastaThis is my go to pasta recipe for when someone is coming over. It’s perfect for a make ahead dish and is absolutely delicious. A friend was coming over for a meal and so I decided to make this dish. I bought some zucchinis and red peppers and decided to roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper. I had already cooked fresh marinara sauce that morning- I added that with pesto. I love using pesto in a variety of dishes. It gives everything an instant boost of flavor. I bought fresh mozzarella- actually it was buffalo mozzarella – which is a lot creamier and flavorful than the regular fresh mozzarella.  I had fontina cheese-again, has a great flavor, melts beautifully and is great to use in a baked pasta.  All the flavors married beautifully with the vegetables and the pasta in the oven.  We had the pasta with garlic bread and some delicious red wine.

  • 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 large or 2 medium red peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper

In a large lined baking sheet, mix the cut vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 10-15 minutes, or till they are golden brown and soft.

Keep aside.

  • 1 cup basic marinara sauce
  • ½ pound penne, cooked
  • ½ cup basil pesto
  • ½ cup fontina cheese, grated
  • 1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, cut into 1inch squares
  • Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

In a medium ovenproof dish, add the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, penne, pesto, fontina and the mozzarella cheeses. Mix well, check for seasonings and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes and serve.

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