Baked Penne : My Husband’s Favorite Pasta Dish

Today I wanted to share another savory recipe with you.  This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes and we make it at least monthly at our house – sometimes for special occasions, sometimes just because we’re craving it!  It’s loaded with veggies and cheese and lots of textures… and we just love it!

I got this recipe from my hubby’s aunt years ago and after tweaking the original a few times to suit our tastes… it’s a go-to recipe for us!  My kids will even eat everything in it – well, except I sometimes catch my 14 year old picking out the tomatoes… his least favorite thing!  I think the key to getting my kids to eat it without too much fuss is that I chop the veggies up pretty small.  I mean tiny dices of onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives… that way they’re almost too small to be picked out!

Anyway, if you like a great hardy pasta dish – give this a try!  Add a side of garlic bread and a salad and you have a perfect meal!

PS – this also makes a great vegetarian meal – just omit the ground beef and it’s still a delicious pasta dish!!

PSS – if you think your vision is going bad, it’s not.  When I previewed these photos on my camera, they all looked perfect.  So I wrote the post and recipe, then started to watermark the photos … but when I uploaded them and saw them on the big screen, I realized that they all had a slight motion blur… SO sorry!  I promise to update the photos next time I cook this meal – which should be pretty soon!!

This post is linked up at Savannah’s Savory Bites!

Baked Penne : Veggie Loaded Delicious Filling Pasta Dish

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12

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Description

This pasta dish is packed with textures and flavors… and lots of veggies!

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Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup finely diced green pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes with liquid, cut up (or I often use petite diced tomatoes)
• 1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained & chopped
• 1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained & chopped
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1.5 lb. ground beef, browned and drained, optional
• 16 oz. penne, cooked according to package and drained
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 cup milk or water
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. In a large skillet, sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano.
3. Add (browned & drained) ground beef if desired.
4. Simmer uncovered for at least 10 minutes (I’ve let it simmer up to an hour…your house will smell divine!).
5. Place half of the penne in a greased 13x9x2 in. baking dish.
6. Top with half the vegetable mixture.
7. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
8. Repeat layers.
9. Mix the soup and milk until smooth; pour over casserole.
10. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake uncovered at 350° F. for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.
12. Notes
13. *Note* You could easily use fresh mushrooms and tomatoes, the lower fat cheeses and the low-salt soup instead. You could also substitute for a different type of pasta (I prefer penne or ziti) and ground turkey instead of beef! I also use mozzarella instead of or with cheddar sometimes. Better the next day like most casseroles/soups are. Freezes well.