Roast Veg Baked Ziti

Is there any dish more comforting than a big pan of cheesy baked ziti? How about making it even better by adding tons of roasted veggies to make it 1. a well-rounded meal 2. a great way to use up any veg in your fridge that has seen better days and 3. the coziest dish for winter! 

Roasted Vegetables 

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed 

10 oz. mushrooms, sliced 

1 large zucchini, cubed 

Olive oil 

Salt 

Pepper

Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast at 400°F/200°C for about 20 minutes until soft and golden brown. 

Feel free to change up the vegetables - peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnip... 

When the vegetables are done set aside and prepare the rest of the dish - the vegetables can be made up to 3 days in advance.  

Pasta

1 lb ziti, rigatoni, penne, or any other short cut pasta  

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a lot of salt. This is a key step when cooking pasta because it seasons the pasta all the way through. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than what is written on the package directions as the pasta will finish cooking when you bake it in the sauce. Drain the pasta and then it put back in the pot.

Cheese mixture

1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 egg lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
Salt 

Pepper
1 tsp garlic powder 
1  tsp dried basil 
1/2 tsp dried oregano 

1 cup tomato sauce

Topping 
1/4 cup grated parmesan 

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella 

Coat a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

While the pasta is cooking mix together cheese mixture ingredients.
Add the cheese mixture, tomato sauce, and roasted vegetables to the pot of cooked pasta and stir to coat all of the pasta.
Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish and top with shredded cheese and the grated parmesan
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.