Three-Cheese Baked Pasta
- 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 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
- Preheat oven to 400u0b0.
- 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.
- Combine 1 cup Romano, ricotta, parsley, and egg white in a bowl.
- 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 400u0b0 for 25 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.
- Wine note: Here's one of the best-kept secrets in food and wine pairing: Cheese often works better with white wine than red. As proof, try this delicious cheesy baked pasta casserole with a crisp white such as pinot grigio, and watch how the wine's zesty acidity cuts through the richness of the cheeses. A favorite: Bollini Pinot Grigio from Italy. The 2004 is $ -Karen MacNeil
olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, red pepper, tomatoes, romano cheese, ricotta cheese, parsley, egg white, penne rigate, provolone cheese, cooking spray
Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/three-cheese-baked-pasta (may not work)