Vegetarian Baked Pasta recipe

8 servings

1 pound penne pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Pour a glass of ice water over the pasta to stop the cooking, but do not rinse thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Coat a 9 x 13 glass pan with olive oil.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet.

Add mushrooms.

Cook for 2 minutes then add basil, oregano and garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add sauce to mushroom mixture and stir.

To assemble, pour enough sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover.

Combine the remaining sauce and the pasta.

Place one-third of sauced noodles on top of sauce in pan.

Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and one-half of the gorgonzola.

Repeat for a second layer.

Put the final third of the noodles in the pan and top with the final 2 cups of mozzarella.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until cheese is browned.

Serve.