Put those last garden tomatoes to use, and cook them down into a sauce, or just grab a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce for this comforting, easy, baked pasta dish. Doctor it up with whatever odds and ends you have in the freezer — assorted cheese, meatballs, Italian sausage, shredded chicken.
Easy Baked Pasta Dinner
By Kristen Browning-Blas, serves about 4, with leftovers.
Ingredients
1 pound rigatoni, bow-ties or spiral pasta
1 cup shredded (or sliced) mozzarella or other cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 pound meatballs, sausage or other meat, optional
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until just al dente. Drain and place in a buttered 2- to 3-quart baking dish. Add cheese, sauce and meat, if using. Blend in herbs and pepper. Top with parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
