We made Individual Baked Pastas the other night and boy did that meal hit the spot! It has been cold here in Salt Lake City…so I am craving comfort foods and pasta does it for me!
I made a chunky vegetable sauce to go with our whole wheat pasta. We used rigatoni this time around. I layered the sauce with the cooked pasta and some cheese! It was that easy.
Since we baked them in individual dishes it didn’t take long at all! And we each got our own little dish! It was two meals for me, but only one for Joshua:) We made four dishes so we could have leftovers too! It was great for lunch the next day.
This is a great meal for busy weeknights or if you are just craving good classic comfort food! And don’t forget it is healthy too! Just go light on the cheese:)
Individual Baked Pasta Dishes
Whole wheat rigatoni pasta (we used about half of a 1 pound bag)
1 eggplant, sliced
1 T. olive oil ½ onion, chopped
2 cloves, garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper, a dash
Fennel seeds, dash
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, low sodium
Roasted peppers, about ½ cup, chopped (we had some in the freezer)
Dried basil, a couple dashes
Italian seasoning, a couple dashes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mozzarella cheese, shredded-use what you like, but I went light on the cheese!
Parmesan cheese-just a bit for a kick. we used the good stuff so a little went a long way!
Directions:
1. Boil the whole wheat pasta in salted water. Cook until al dente. You don’t want it all the way done because it will finish in the oven. 2. Place the zucchini and eggplant on a greased cookie sheet. Add salt and pepper. Put under the broiler for about 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. 3. Chop up the eggplant. 4. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion. Then add garlic, red pepper, and fennel. Stir in roasted peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. Cook until soft. 5. Add in diced tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper. 6. Simmer for 10 minutes. 7. Spray your dishes. Put some sauce on the bottom and then add some pasta. Add another layer of sauce, then some cheese, and then more pasta, and sauce. 8. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly. 9. Garnish with fresh basil if you wish.
Oww looks like they came out just perfect! Hahah don’t you love how 2 meals for you = 1 for your husband? I am a huge fan of leftovers as well! Hope you’re enjoying your day!
Mmmm. I think I’m making pasta tonight! ha ha!
I’m a big fan of the individual dishes. That way everyone gets their own and my husband can’t take any of mine! 🙂 Great portion control measure too, fo those looking to drop some lbs in the new year.
Your addition of the eggplant and squash sounds yummy!
These are gorgeous and I bet they taste amazing!
Mm, sooo delicious looking. Seriously, I need to come for dinner.:)
Ooh, I’m craving this now!!
Dishes like this are acceptable for guests (ind. servings and penne) = no mess.
I’m slowly working my way to whole wheat pasta…keep’em coming.
This looks great! I love to see zucchini in dishes, especially pasta dishes! 🙂
I love this dish – healthy and tasty!
I love baked pasta – this does look great. I especially like the bake/serveware!
These look amazing. I was actually craving some kind of veggie-baked-pasta dish and individual ones are the way to go. I can’t wait to try these.
This is a great comfort food dish. I love baked pasta. But you were smart and added plenty of veggies. That always eases the cheese guilt for me. 😉
love the individual servings 🙂
Beautiful! This would be a great dish for company… everybody gets their own.
Healthy and delicious is an unbeatable combination. This looks reall, really good.
That’s a delicious comfort meal! YUM!
They look absolutely delish, Maria.
This looks so good! My hubby would eat 3 dishes!
comforting, “hit the spot” meal!!
Yum — that sauce alone looks irresistible to me! I’m in the mood for pasta now!
Looks perfect for this cold weather we’ve got going on around here. Love that sprig of basil.
oh yeah–this would definitely hit the spot on a cold day. (i just love looking at my thermometer and seeing 1 degree F–at least i’m not in the negative digits…) my problem with your dish is that i’d have to eat two servings at least. 🙂
oh boy. I LOVE individual baked pastas!!!!! Looks awesome Maria!
These look great, I love that you made it healthy!
I love the individaul servings. What a great way not to overload your plate!
Definitely a great comfort dish. I love all the veggies and what a great idea to also incorporate the whole wheat pasta!
This is one of those “got to have it” comfort foods.
YUM – that looks so delicious and satisfying! Perfect cold-weather supper.
I got individual baking dishes for Christmas just so I could make pasta like this! Yours looks so good; we’re using whole wheat pasta more and more – it carries a substantial sauce really well, don’t you think?
Nancy
We use our individual dishes for a lot of things, they are so fun! And I love adding in lots of veggies to my sauces. The more the merrier! I freeze the leftover sauce too.
I am a huge fan of all-things-individual!
I got used to it living in Japan, the one scoop size.. EVERYTHING.
These look delish.. and I could honestly put away two with ease..
I love roasted vegetables.
I remember Giada made a similar dish, a baked ziti w/ roasted vegetables and I loved it!
I made mac & cheese, should've stuck with the healthy stuff instead!
Looks yummy! Everyone feels more special when they get their own dish too 🙂
Looks like there was some kinda feast happening over in your neck of the woods.
This looks really delicious and is making me hungry!
Yum! Pasta is one of my favorite kinds of food!