Dinner tonight

I haven't posted a recipe on here in ages, so I thought I'd share the delicious harvest-y dinner we had last night. It's easy (chop up a load of vegetables and mix them together), tasty, looks beautiful and is healthy. Well, assuming you don't put all the cheese in, it's healthy. But really, you should just eat it with all the cheese. It tastes so much better that way.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis

2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips (or green peppers)
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes (I've used both butternut squash as well as eggplant. Both are fine)
4 cremini mushrooms, halved (or regular white mushrooms are fine...and I always use way more mushrooms than called for)
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese (if you have to omit a cheese, I would recommend this one, as it's around $8 for 1 cup's worth at Smiths. But it's oh so delicious!)
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

1. On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until slightly tender, about 15 minutes. (Be careful not to roast the vegetables too long or they will become soggy when you bake them later)

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard (this is very important! We want pasta al dente, not al mush!). Drain in a colander.

3. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

4. Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. (For some reason (could be the extra mushrooms) I had way too much to fit into a 9 x 13, so I also used an 8 x 8 pan).