Reducipe – Baked Penne With Roasted Vegetables

Posted on October 27, 2007 by Melissa
Filed Under Reducipes

Reducipe
Pronunciation: ri-doos-uh-pee
Function: noun
1 : a recipe that can help lower your food costs in a variety of ways
     a : by scaling back an expensive recipe to be less pricey but still just as tasty
     b : by turning an already inexpensive meal into something special
     c : by using leftovers in creative ways to stretch their use

Eat your veggies! Baked penne is one of my favorite pasta dishes. This recipe ditches the meat and incorporates a ton of good-for-you veggies in a really tasty way. Who needs meat when you’ve got pasta like this?

Roasting brings out the natural flavor and sweetness in the vegetables so don’t skip that step. Taking the time to do roast the veggies makes all the difference in the world. I mean, just look at that photo! Doesn’t it make you want to grab a fork and dig in?

I’ll admit, I’m very heavy handed on the sauce and cheese. Use less of each if you don’t like it especially saucy. I like to make this dish when peppers are plentiful and on sale. Get a variety of colors and it makes the dish really pretty.

Baked Penne With Roasted Vegetables (adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis)

2 red peppers, cored and cut into strips
1 orange or yellow pepper, cored and cut into strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into slices
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into slices
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced into strips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
1 pound penne pasta
3-4 cups marinara sauce (Ragu marinara is great)
3 cups grated mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 – 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, dried herbs, salt, black and red pepper, and garlic powder. Roast until tender, about 15-45 minutes, checking for doneness and stirring every 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, mozzarella, and peas. Adjust the seasoning with salt and 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 Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Serves 6 generously.

Check out these ingredients – it looks like a lot but it’s mostly different varieties of veggies. Gotta love that!

Ingredients for Baked Penne With Vegetables

Now on to the numbers. What does this meal cost in real life?

Ingredients	Cost	Ingredients	Cost
Peppers	$2.97	Pasta	$0.82
Zucchini	$0.87	Marinara	$1.50
Squash	$0.83	Mozzarella	$4.52
Mushrooms	$1.50	Peas	$0.40
Onion	$0.99	Parmesan	$0.10
Olive Oil	$0.20	Butter	$0.12
Salt & Spices	$0.05	Total	$14.87 or $2.47 a serving

You could make this dish even cheaper by cutting back on the cheese and substituting canola oil for the olive oil. I really like the olive oil in this dish though – it just seems more authentic that way. The original version of this recipe called for more expensive cheeses and after trying it both ways I honestly feel that using straight mozzarella is just fine. It sure costs a lot less and besides, the veggies are the true star of this dish. Enjoy!

This post was featured in:

Vegetarian Carnival #14 hosted by Veggie Chic

Comments

5 Responses to “Reducipe – Baked Penne With Roasted Vegetables”

ValleyGirl on October 28th, 2007 9:39 am

This looks and sounds delicious! (I especially love the picture of all the ingredients in those colourful bowls!) I really like how you break down the cost of these recipes. This would be a great recipe anytime, but would be almost free during the harvest season when many of the vegetables can be found in my own back yard!!
booklore on October 28th, 2007 3:12 pm

Carnival of the Recipes is up!
http://librasimplex.blogspot.com/2007/10/carnival-of-recipes-tricks-and-treats.html
Melissa on October 30th, 2007 6:08 pm

@ValleyGirl – Yes, this recipe is awesome for using your own produce, then it costs very little to make.

Thanks for the compliment on the ingredient bowls! It takes more effort to set up but I enjoy seeing the separate components that actually go into the dish.
Chef Tom on October 31st, 2007 8:31 am

This recipe sounds wonderful! I love my veggies !
Vegetarian Carnival #14: yummy winter recipes and more on March 10th, 2008 10:26 pm

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