Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Roasted Vegetables
Simple and healthy baked pasta is mixed with ricotta cheese, roasted vegetables and store-bought jarred marinara sauce. This pasta makes a great weeknight meal and a great way to feed kids a ton of vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta rigatoni or ziti pasta
- 2-1/2 lb vegetables; such as bell pepper, squash, onion, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, etc cut up
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley
- 8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
- 24 oz jarred marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Slice the vegetables into thick strips, and put them on a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss well. Spread the vegetables evenly without crowding them. If needed, use two sheets. Place the sheet 6-inch below the heat source and broil for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package direction but 1 minute less.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and the parsley. Mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta, roasted vegetables, and the marinara sauce; mix well.
- In a 9x13 greased baking pan, put 1/2 the amount of pasta on the bottom. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture evenly and sprinkle 1/2 the amount of mozzarella cheese. Cover with the remaining pasta and mozzarella cheese on top. Bake the past for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.