i love cooking magazines, i have a bad habit of picking them up everywhere i go. i have stacks of them. i don’t mean stacks, i mean huge towering piles. i decided since spring is on the way i was going to go through every single one and take take out every recipe i would actually cook. this is one of them.

bon appetit happens to be one of my favorites. sometimes i do find however the recipes are a touch intense. to many steps that i sometimes don’t have time for. during the week my meals are on the quick side or something that can sit all day and has as few steps as possible. this weekend we were having guests, my first idea was pulled pork, it was shot down. my second and final, pasta. it’s always a crowd pleaser. i had found this recipe a few weeks back and has folded back the page. i had all the ingredients so me and my girl p with in a half an hour prepared dinner for the night. stuck it in the fridge and cooked it for a quick supper.

now i followed the recipe, the only real change i made was that i used almonds and fresh smoked mozzarella and the addition of some garlic here and there. the recipe i am going to give you is a) those changes and b) the simplest way to put this together, so i am not going to list all of the ingredients, i am going to list them by step with the instruction underneath. trust me, it makes this recipe a lot easier to cook and much simpler to follow.

penne with roasted vegetables     adapted from bon appetit, march issue 2011

step one  – the veg

  • 1 eggplant cut up into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 pepper coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced

lay out all the above ingredients on a baking sheet. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper. bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

step 2 – the topping

  • 1/2 cup parm
  • 1/2 cup basil
  • 1/4 cup almonds

process all the ingredients in a food processor. reserve.

step 3 – the sauce

  • 1 28oz can of whole tomatoes
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 1/2 cups basil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • a pinch of salt and pepper

blend all ingredients and set aside.

step 4 – the assembly

  • 1 pound of penne
  1. cook your penne, about 3/4 of the way through.
  2. take out a big baking dish, one that can be cooked at a high temperature and can fit a pound of penne. when the veg is done, add it to your dish. once your penne is ready, strain and add to the pan with veg and mix. slowly mix in your sauce and then sprinkle the topping on and finish with mozzarella cheese.
  3. cook for 30-35 minutes at 425, let it cool before you dig in, about 5-10 minutes.
  4. i served this with a great salad (an herb salad mix with the addition of pears and dried cranberries) and a loaf of garlic bread.
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