This evening I was craving baked pasta but the last thing I wanted to do is turn on my oven. With the heat index Central Florida is close to 105 degrees. In reality the temperature is in the mid 90’s. From what I understand much of the country is feeling the summer heat as bad or worse than Florida. I’m sure it’s not that different in many other countries either.

So the question is, how to have a baked pasta dish without turning on the oven? The answer is easy, use your grill! I’ve been doing this for years using glass bake-ware and the lowest setting for the grill. I don’t actually think it’s recommended so please do so at your own risk. I actually use the grill 2x for this recipe. First to roast the veggies on a high heat and then again to bake the completed pasta dish. The only indoor heat I used was to cook the pasta.

The recipe requires very little work. I bought sliced mushrooms and broccoli florets and used jarred sauce. I forgot the onion so that was one less thing to slice, however I suggest remembering that part, onions do enhance the overall flavor!

I actually made 2 trays, one with a whole wheat pasta for the men and a quinoa pasta for myself. It seems like an awful lot for 3 people but we’ll eat the leftovers for a few days so it’s fine. I can also freeze a couple of servings in individual portion sized bags for future use.

Ingredients

1 lb cooked penne pasta (whole wheat or regular)

12 oz broccoli florets

12 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced

1 onion diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 large zucchini

1 large bell pepper or several small sweet peppers

1- 1.5 large jars of quality pasta sauce (I used a spicy variety)

8 oz cubed mozzarella

8 oz provolone or gruyère cheese chopped or shredded

4 oz vegetarian parmesan cheese

salt pepper and italian seasonings (I use the kind in the grinder)

Directions

Preheat grill to medium high, slice zucchini lengthwise and lightly brush both sides with oil and season, place that and the peppers directly on the grill

Slice onions and toss with the broccoli and mushrooms in a little olive oil, season and add to a grill appropriate pan, place this on the grill

Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes and turn all, remove from heat when the appear to be cooked, slice the zucchini and add to the other veggies adding in the frozen peas

When the pepper is cooled peal off the blackened layer of skin and chop coarsely add to the veggies

Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, add the veggies and sauce, mixing well

Add all the cheeses and mix again, turn into a prepared baking dish and cover with foil, bake on medium low heat for approximately 2o minutes until the cheese is nicely melted

Have a peaceful day, Lin