cheffonade

baked penne

by Brent Lewis ·50 minutes ·Italian ·vegetarian

This baked pasta dish has an extra step in the oven, but is well worth the wait for the deep roasted flavor that develops.

ingredients

  • penne
  • 1 15oz can whole tomatoes, hand crushed in a bowl
  • garlic, minced
  • dried oregano
  • red pepper flakes, optional
  • Gruyère, shredded
  • parmesan, shredded

instructions

  1. 1 Preheat oven to 375. Bring water to a boil in large pot for pasta. When water is boiling, add salt and penne. Cook 1-2 minutes short of normal cooking time, about 8-9 minutes. Drain thoroughly to ensure no extra pasta water remains.
  2. 2 Make tomato sauce by sauteing minced garlic briefly in olive oil, then adding tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and simmering until slightly thickened. When pasta and sauce are both done, combine, along with grated Gruyère.
  3. 3 In oven-proof dish with high sides (ex. rectangular glass pan), add pasta, sauce, and cheese mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. 4 Remove from oven, grate parmesan on top, and put under broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching closely to ensure it doesn't burn. Remove from broiler.
  5. 5 Let cool slightly and serve.