Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti or penne pasta, cooked
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 2-3 cups roasted vegetables of your choice (mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers)
- 2 cups mozzarella (or a mixture of Italian cheeses)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
Step 1
Place uncooked ziti in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Do not overcook or pasta will be soggy and break apart when tossed. Drain the pasta without delay in a large colander. Do not rinse the pasta before combining with about 2 cups of the sauce in a large mixing bowl. Add roasted vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, carrots, peas, and/or green beans) and toss gently to cover pasta and vegetable completely with pomodoro sauce. Cover the bowl and set let stand for at least 5 minutes.
If freezing over serving later in the day, allow to cool completely. Transfer pasta to the baking dish and blanket the top of the pasta with cheese(s) and sprinkle with chopped parsley and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to reheat.
You can either re-heat from the ziti frozen or thawed state. From frozen will take much longer, so we recommend taking the dish out of the freezer at least 24 hours in advance and let it defrost in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you are reheating in an aluminum pan, be sure to place a cookie sheet underneath the pan. Leaving foil on the dish, cook for about 30-40 minutes if completely thawed removing the foil. Cook for 45-50 minutes if partially thawed or allow to bake for an hour (or more) if still frozen. It is ready when the sauce is bubbling to the surface. If the cheese is not browned and melted enough, remove the aluminum foil and let it cook for a little longer or put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a fresh Caesar salad for an Italian dinner worthy of an Emperor!