Baked Penne Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Isn't Autumn time the perfect time to start making casseroles again... Love casseroles, especially with pasta. Nothing spells 'comfort food' to me better than a pasta dish.... I ran across this recipe on the Internet (probably pinterest) and since it had Zucchini in it which I had from my garden that I needed to use up, I thought I'd give it a try. The original recipe is here but as usual I tweaked it a bit. It calls for canned fire roasted tomatoes, but I had a ton just harvested from my garden so I put about 6 larger Roma tomatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and roasted for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. I let them cool and then diced them in my food processor. YUM! But feel free to use the canned tomatoes called for :) This was a YUMMO casserole and since it has lots of veggies already in it, I served with a crusty french bread. Enjoy!

Baked Penne Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

1  to 2 pounds lean ground beef (I like lots of hamburger in this... I think I used 1-1/2 pounds)

1 large onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 2 cloves, finely chopped)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 jar Paul Newman's Sockarooni Spaghetti Sauce (LOVE this sauce! you can freeze the rest for use in something else later) or you can use 1 (15 oz can) regular tomato sauce)

1 (14-1/2 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes (or your own tomatoes--see notes above)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces Penne pasta (or any kind of pasta you like- about 3 cups dried)

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 2 quart rectangular glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside
In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper over medium heat stirring frequently, until beef is browned and cooked through. Add Zucchini and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Stir in tomatoes, Sockarooni sauce, oregano, basil, parsley and salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.

Toss pasta into your sauce mixture. Spread in baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

 Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

**you can add roasted jalapenos or green chili's for a little more kick if desired. I had roasted jalapeno's from my garden so I chopped 2 or 3 up and threw in along with the green pepper. Or you can add a small can of diced green chili's.