Cheesy Zucchini Pasta Bake

Quick! Easy! Comfort Food!

Looking for a new comfort food?  Cheesy Zucchini Pasta Bake may be perfect for your family.  We love it for the basic one-dish aspect.

It does require 2 pots - one to boil the pasta and 1 to pre-cook the zucchini  but only one dish to bake and serve it in.

In a big hurry? Do what I do and use 1 pot and add the zucchini to the pasta when it is nearly done and then don’t fuss too much about layering it.

This is an easy recipe to double for extra guests, hungry eaters, or those all-too-handy leftovers. Vary the pasta as you wish, add more zucchini, or even try another cheese, like Provolone.

It’s also a perfect dish for kitchen-shy husbands and teens to make when it’s their turn to cook.

If you freeze your big zucchini harvest, then you’re one step closer to having this done. Drain the frozen slices and add them to the casserole.

Cheesy Zucchini Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

2-4 small to medium zucchini, sliced
12 oz. tomato sauce
3 cups Rigatoni, uncooked
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
Handful of shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Cook pasta according to package instruction, then set aside.


2. In a small saucepan, boil a small amount of water.


3. Add zucchini and cook until tender.


4. Grease a baking dish and layer 1/3 of the Rigatoni, tomato sauce, cheese and zucchini.


5. Continue layering until you have three of each.


6. Cover with shredded cheese and add a sprinkle of olive oil.


7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Excellent with a side salad of almost any sort and crusty rolls.

Optional:

Add grated carrots or canned chopped tomatoes with the tomato sauce layer.

Keeping it Simple! For a really hearty meal that really keeps it fast, we enjoy it with 5 Bean Salad that we make in quantity and keep in the refrigerator for just those moments when you want to add a big more protein to your meal - or when you haven't got time to make a fresh salad. (We all have those days)

5 Bean Salad

Ingredients

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can cut wax beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can cut green beans
1 cup white onions, chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Using a colander, rinse and drain all the canned veggies, then transfer them to a large bowl.


2. In a separate bowl mix the sugar, oil and vinegar.


3. Pour this sauce over the beans and stir to coat evenly.


4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.


5. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Yield: 15 servings.

We also like this version of a Bean Salad with apples: Apple Kidney Bean Salad

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