READY IN ABOUT 1½ hrs

Garden Penne

Read Reviews (61)

"This is a great way to get all your veggies in. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do." — chicklet

Directions

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, place the pasta in a large bowl, and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the zucchini, squash, onion, red and green peppers, and garlic until the vegetables are tender, for about 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, pasta sauce, and corn, and stir to mix. Sprinkle with red and black pepper to taste, and bring the mixture back to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Pour the vegetable mixture into the bowl with the cooked penne pasta, stir to mix well, and spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top, and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 25 mins
COOK 1 hr
READY IN 1 hr 25 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Aug 03, 2009

I love this recipe but did have to make a few adjustments for our picky eaters and personl taste. I went with the recipe the first time I made this and discovered that we did not care for the taste that the peppers gave. So the second time I made it I left them and added extra zucchini and squash. I also did not add the onions but used onion powder. Again, because of personal preference/picky eaters. The zucchini and squash really take in the flavor of the garlic when you are cooking it in the olive oil, so don't skip that part! We used a home made pasta sauce recipe instead of the chuncky sauce (not a fan). Whats great is that its so easy to make a second batch to freeze for later! Good stuff, thanks!!

—Jen

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Oct 07, 2012

The seasonings make for a nice, flavorful sauce. That said, the end result was more like baked sauce with pasta than the reverse. Next time, I plan to cut back on the pasta sauce by 1/3 to provide more balance and allow the flavors of both the pasta and cheese to come through.

—RunsWithScissors

See full review »

81 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

May 15, 2009

Very good! I only cooked my sauce for about ten minutes because I like my veggies a little underdone, otherwise made as written. This is a great, easy, lighter alternative to lasagna or baked ziti. Thanks for the recipe!

—SunnyByrd

See full review »

Jul 27, 2009

Amazing. I added oregano. My husband always wants to know where the meat is when I make something like this. He said that he could eat this everyday and didn't even miss the meat.

—Debbie

See full review »

Jan 12, 2010

This is AMAZING! I'm a vegetarian and I've made this for my non-vegetarian family members before, and they LOVED IT!!! Sometimes I use whole wheat penne, I usually omit the red onion or substitute Sweet Vidalia onion, I use diced tomatoes with green chilis in them to spice it up a bit (or sometimes I omit the tomatoes altogether), and I top it off with thinly sliced Munster cheese instead of shredded mozzarella. VERY GOOD!!! Sometimes I make a "meaty version" for my family, by adding either 1 pound cooked ground beef or 2 boiled and diced boneless skinless chicken breasts.

—LiLGarnsey

See full review »

Jun 24, 2009

This was soooooo good. I am very pleased with the way it came out. I'm always looking for ways to use my zucchini as a main dish instead of a side. Only thing I did differently is left out the red peppers and corn(I didn't have any on hand) and added more onion. I also seasoned the veggies with adobe and seasoned salt.

—chdebnam

See full review »

Jul 15, 2010

Really good way to use up some of those garden vegetables. I used a can of rotel instead of plain diced tomatoes. Just a tad spicy. Next time I'll try just the regular. Good flavor, easy to make, easy to sub in other vegetables and spices too! Thanks for the recipe.

—sassyoldlady

See full review »

Sep 22, 2010

Excellent recipe with lots of variations possible. We excluded the peppers, added some fresh sliced mushrooms and chopped kale. I added 1up of low fat ricotta & 1/3 cup parmesan cheese to the mixture when blending it all together prior to baking. You can reduce the mozzarella topping if you want a trade off. What is particularly nice is that this freezes well. We freeze leftovers in individual portion sizes with our Food Saver. Just defrost & reheat in the microwave or a warm oven - it'll save you $$ on fast food alternatives for those nights you're too tired for kitchen wizardry. This dish seems to just get better over time!

—deb

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Chicken Penne Italiano

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Zesty Penne, Sausage and Peppers

Pesto Chicken Penne Casserole

Tuna Garden Casserole

Baked Penne

Smoky Sausage Penne

Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Amber's Penne Alla Vodka

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Nutrition

Calories
646 kcal
32%

Carbohydrates
104.2 g
34%

Cholesterol
27 mg
9%

Fat
14.7 g
23%

Fiber
12.1 g
48%

Protein
27.5 g
55%

Sodium
1180 mg
47%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Garden Penne

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 646
Calories from Fat: 133

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14.7g 23 %
Saturated Fat 5.6g 28 %
Cholesterol 27mg 9 %
Sodium 1180mg 47 %
Potassium 1328mg 37 %
Total Carbohydrates 104.2g 34 %
Dietary Fiber 12.1g 48 %
Protein 27.5g 55 %
Sugars 23g
Vitamin A 41 %
Vitamin C 135 %
Calcium 51 %
Iron 60 %
** Thiamin 66 %
Niacin 121 %
Vitamin B6 61 %
Magnesium 44 %
Folate 139 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.