We recently returned from our annual reunion with Graham’s side of the family, and once again we were on call for cooking one of the dinners of the week – for 25 people! Graham’s sister Ashley and her fiancé Brian were on duty as well, and we wanted to make something that matched the delicious dinners that other family members had already cooked during the week. Two years ago we had made some awesome lasagna and the year before that we had a pasta medley, so we decided to continue the Italian theme this year.
I found a great baked penne and roasted vegetable recipe online, and with a few tweaks it turned out to be fantastic. There was a good amount of vegetable chopping and cheese grating required for 25 people, but between the four of us we were able to get it done with only a few sore muscles. The roasted vegetables included squash, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini, and they blended right into the penne. The distinctive taste, however, came from the variety of cheeses in the recipe – parmesan, fontina, and smoked mozzarella! Delicious! Complemented by a big salad and garlic bread, everyone seemed to enjoy this fun and tasty dish. Try it out and let us know what you think!
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
I think we ended up quadrupling this recipe, but we weren’t super precise in measuring out the ingredients, so it is probably best to send you back to the original source for the recipe. We used a good store bought tomato sauce, and omitted the butter and peas from the recipe. I would also recommend adding more mushrooms than the recipe calls for.
Tasty Easy Healthy Green Recipe Ratings:
| Recipe Report Card | Notes About Recipe Ratings |
|
Tasty Rating Five Chefs (Gourmet Fare!) |
Overall the flavors in this dish were fantastic, but I think the smoked mozzarella really makes the dish. |
|
Easy Rating
Three Easy Chairs (Average Difficulty) |
Making this dish for 25 people was a little bit of challenge—although having 3 assistants really helped! Making it for fewer people would be much easier, and you can probably chop and roast the veggies ahead of time. |
|
Healthy Rating
Three Apples (Average Nutritional Quality) |
While it did have a lot of veggies, it also had a lot of cheese. You could try using a whole wheat penne pasta, but try not to skimp on the smoked mozzarella. |
|
Green Rating
Two Leaves (Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides Rock) |
Some of the produce was local or organic, but the majority of the ingredients were not. |
I have been on such a roasted veggie kick lately that this baked pasta dish looks so delicious to me!
Wow, this is a beauty, so colorful and filled with healthy veggies. I like that you omitted the butter and peas (I still hate peas), LOL. Looks fantastic and for 25 people, great job.
I am all for roasting vegetables. That’s the only way I use while making my pasta and lasagna for a crowd. That looks wonderful for the kind of weather we are having.
Such a colourful and flavourful baked penne!
Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful break/vacation/time off! Great recipe to come back with! Love the roasted vegetable and pasta idea and then all those wonderful cheeses – fantastic. It’s amazing how much flavor just a little smoked cheese adds to a dish. I bet that kitchen smelled wonderful with all of this veggie, cheesy pasta baked in the oven! Sensory heaven!
Oh Sally…it has been a while…
Your baked penne looks wonderful, like what you have in it…all in one dish.
Hope you are having an enjoyable week
[...] http://tastyeasyhealthygreen.com/?p=2136 [...]