Three-Cheese Baked Pasta

By t1bishop

The diced provolone creates lovely little
pockets of melted cheese throughout the
casserole as it bakes. Cook the pasta
while the tomato mixture Simmers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon 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)
• 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh or
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes,
• undrained
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated fresh
• pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 pound uncooked penne rigate
• (tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) diced provolone
• cheese
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 4000.
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook for 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 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 provolone, tossing just until combined (do not overstir). Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Romano. Bake at 4000 for 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 11/2 cups).