Three Cheese Baked Pasta

By Lindae999

Calories 459
Fat 14.1 G
Fiber 5.8 G

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups diced onion
• 1/3 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (about 12 cloves)
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed without oil)
• 1 1/4 tsps chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 lb uncooked penne rigate (TUBE-shaped pasta)
• 1 cup (4 oz) diced provolone cheese
• cooking spray

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over med heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, crushed red pepper, and diced tomatoes; cook 25 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine 1 cup pecorino Romano, ricotta, parsley, and egg white in a bowl.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; return pasta to pan. Add ricotta mixture to pan, stirring to coat. Add tomato mixture and diced provolone, tossing just until combined (do not overstir). Spoon pasta mixture into a 13X9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecorino Romano cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.