Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Summery cheesy freshness. Texture: Al dente pasta, creamy cheese, and tender veggies. This dish reminded me how much I adore ricotta. Appearance: It looks great coming out of the oven – the cheese is bubbling and browned. I loved the chunks of colorful vegetables. Ease: Easy to prepare, simple ingredients, takes less than a half hour. Pros: Perfect summer meal. Any vegetables you like or have on hand can be substituted. Cons: None except next time I might also add some chicken or turkey sausage for some heartiness. Would I make this again? Yes.This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
With pasta, life is sweet. With pasta and cheese baked into gooey and bubbly goodness, life is nearly perfect. No one will notice that there’s practically an entire summer garden in this dish. No one will notice the whole-grain. They’ll only taste something that’s utterly satisfying, heart-warming, yet light enough for summer.
Baked Pasta with Summer Vegetables
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked tube-shaped whole-wheat pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow squash
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped tomato
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
- Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Serve with salad greens.
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Is 6 ounces the correct amount of pasta or was it meant to be 16 ounces?
Amber – 6 ounces is the correct amount. This is a “light” dish – the actual individual serving size for tubular pasta is 2 ounces. You could always increase the amount of pasta – just be sure to add a bit more of the cheeses so it won't be too dry.
Baked pasta, but not for too long (so the house doesn't heat up). Sounds and looks great. Thanks for the idea!
I love pasta and I love, love, love baked pasta. This recipe looks incredible. I love all the delicious, fresh ingredients you've put in this. I can't wait to try this next time I plan to bake up a pasta dish.
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This looks awesome!
Only you can make pasta seem so elegant and I want to use the word delightful!
Cover anything in cheese and I will probably eat it, but the vegetables sound great in this!
Yum! You always have the best dinner ideas! 🙂 My husband would go nuts over this. He loves all things cheesy….as do I. 😉