Baked Vegetable Rotini

I craved pasta like a mad woman this winter. Not only pasta, but any meal full of carbs and cheese…mmm. In fact, I'm pretty sure I had pizza every night for a week at one point. I have no regrets. I don't make pasta too often anymore, since Chris is still trying to be mostly gluten-free. I'm not giving up bread and butter any time soon, but I must admit it's better for me as well to limit my gluten intake. Thankfully, this recipe can easily be gluten-free *gasp*. That's right, I used corn pasta, and you know what? It was awesome. I haven't tried any other types of gluten-free pasta, because the corn just seems to work for us, and it's cheap at Trader Joe's. I was concerned how it would hold up in the oven (gummy pasta is disgusting), but it held up perfectly, just like regular pasta. Seriously, you can't tell the difference!

Anyhoo, there's actually not a ton of pasta in this dish, as there are a bunch of veggies to compensate. I sauteed mushrooms and zucchini, which I'm pretty sure is my favorite veggie combo (especially on pizza!). I also added garlic and oregano to the original recipe, to give it an extra kick of flavor. I'm so happy to have hearty pasta dishes like this back in my life, and am glad to have found this wonderful recipe! Bon appetit!

Baked Vegetable Rotini

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces rotini (I used corn rotini to make it gluten-free…worked great!)

1 large jar marinara or pasta sauce of choice (about 24 ounces)

1 15-ounce container low fat ricotta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Italian blend cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta al dente and drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until softened and liquid has boiled off, about 7 minutes more. Add garlic and oregano, and cook for an additional minute or two. Remove from heat.

Add marinara, ricotta, salt, and pepper, and stir until evenly combined. Stir in the pasta until everything is evenly coated with the sauce.

Pour pasta mixture into baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes. If desired broil the last 3-5 minutes of baking to get a nice browned top.

Recipe Source: adapted from Oh My Veggies