Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spring Veggies
Baked pasta: assemble this creamy dish with fresh spring vegetables. A perfect, comforting meal ready in under an hour for any weeknight.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 8 oz penne pasta (uncooked)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- rac{1}{2} onion (small diced, 155g)
- 1 zucchini (half moons, 190g)
- rac{1}{2} bunch asparagus (trimmed & cut 1-inch, 160g)
- 1 tsp salt
- rac{1}{2} tsp black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 2 tbsp butter
- rac{1}{4} cup all-purpose flour (35g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 3750F. Grease a 9x102 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the penne pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, or just until tender. Drain and cool the pasta in a colander, then set it aside for later.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil, diced onion, zucchini half moons, asparagus 1-inch pieces, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and melt the butter. Once melted, add the all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute.
Notes
- For best flavor, use fresh spring vegetables and ensure they are not overcooked during sautéing to retain their crispness.
- If the sauce seems too thick before baking, you can thin it with a splash of milk or vegetable broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
- When I first made this, I almost forgot to cool the pasta, which can lead to it clumping. Cooling it quickly ensures it stays separate and absorbs the sauce better. Nutrition information is an estimate, calculated automatically. Values vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes.
- If the sauce seems too thick before baking, you can thin it with a splash of milk or vegetable broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
- When I first made this, I almost forgot to cool the pasta, which can lead to it clumping. Cooling it quickly ensures it stays separate and absorbs the sauce better. Nutrition information is an estimate, calculated automatically. Values vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes.