Penne And Vegetable Gratin Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
• In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
• Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the shallots, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon thyme in a baking dish. Bake, stirring halfway through, until lightly caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Line 2 baking sheets with cooling racks. Divide the eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini between the 2 sheets. Season the vegetables with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Firmly press the vegetables with a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Lift the racks from the baking sheets and brush off any excess water and salt. Transfer the vegetables onto the sheet trays. Add the tomatoes to one of the sheet trays. Toss each type of vegetable with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
• Make one stack of vegetables on a baking sheet. Start with 1 tomato slice, top it with 1 to 2 slices of zucchini, depending on the size, 1 to 2 slices of yellow squash, and then top with 1 slice of eggplant. (The zucchini and yellow squash slices should fill the same amount of space as the tomato and eggplant; if they are smaller slices, use two.) Place the stack on its side in the baking dish, on top of the caramelized shallots. Repeat making stacks and adding them into the baking dish in a spiral, working from the outside inward. If there are extra vegetables, add them to the center of the dish at the end. Sprinkle with the fontina and Parmesan. Bake until the vegetables are tender and the cheese is melted and golden brown, 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.
• Garnish with the basil and serve with crusty bread.

Steps:

• Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add the penne. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, until just tender, and drain. Rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking if you don't intend to assemble the dish immediately.
• Bring 1/3 cup of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the broccoli pieces, cover, return to the boil and cook for 3 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated. Add the mushrooms, red pepper, walnuts and olive oil and mix well. Add the spinach, still wet from washing, cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is wilted. (At this point, the vegetables can be combined with the warm pasta, seasoned with salt and pepper and served with a little grated Parmesan cheese as a side dish.) For the gratin, set the vegetables aside while you make the sauce.
• For the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, mixing it in well with a whisk. Stir in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring with a whisk (especially around the edges where it might have a tendency to burn) until lightly thickened. Add the cream and salt and pepper, then return to the boil. Set aside.
• When ready to serve, mix together the vegetables, pasta and bechamel sauce and stir in the Swiss cheese. Spread the mixture into a 10-to-12-cup gratin dish. If the ingredients are still hot, place the dish under a hot broiler for 5 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. If some of the ingredients are lukewarm or cool, heat the gratin for about 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven until bubbling hot, then brown for 5 minutes under the broiler. If the mixture is cool throughout, place the gratin in a 400-degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, then place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a 4-quart kettle bring 3 quarts salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes. (Pasta will cook more when baked.) Drain pasta in a colander and rinse well under cold water. Drain pasta well and in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish toss pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, Fontina, and herbs.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make sauce:
• In a large heavy saucepan cook garlic and red pepper flakes in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt to taste and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and give off their liquid. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, milk, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer sauce, whisking, 30 seconds.
• Pour sauce evenly over pasta mixture and shake gratin dish gently to coat pasta mixture with sauce.
• Make topping:
• In a small bowl with a fork stir together bread crumbs and oil until crumbs are evenly moistened.
• Sprinkle topping over pasta mixture and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes. Cool gratin 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a pot. Add the penne, bring the water back to a boil, and boil the pasta over medium heat, uncovered, for about 8 minutes. (The pasta should be al dente, firm to the bite.) Drain the penne in a colander and rinse it under cold tap water until cool, and set aside.
• Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan, and add the flour. Cook the mixture over medium heat for about 10 seconds, then add the milk, stir it in quickly with a whisk so the mixture doesn't scorch. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it for 10 seconds. Add the cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, mix well, then cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
• When ready to finish the gratin, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix the pasta with the cheddar sauce, and transfer the mixture to a 6-cup gratin dish. Sprinkle the tomato on top of the pasta and sauce. Combine the Parmesan and paprika in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture on the pasta. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, until the gratin is bubbly and nicely browned on top. Serve immediately.
• Note: If making the gratin at the last moment, and assembling it while the sauce and pasta are both hot, do not bake the gratin. Instead, place it under a hot broiler until golden brown on top.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute carrots in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, basil and oregano; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender., Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into vegetables. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta; stir into vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with parsley.

Steps:

• Boil about 2 quarts of water. Add penne and cook about 12 minutes until al dente (slightly firm). Drain and cool under cold water.
• Put cooked penne into a large bowl and stir in the ham, corn, peas, zucchini and cheese.
• Make the White Sauce:.
• Melt butter in saucepan, add the flour, and whisk it together until smooth.
• Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring a bit. The sauce should thicken.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Let it cool until lukewarm.
• Heat the broiler. Add the sauce to the penne and vegetables, and place in a shallow baking dish that can hold about 6 cups.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
• Broil about 4 inches from the heat until the top is lightly browned (about 6 to 8 minutes).
• Serve immediately.
• NOTE: Pepin says you can make this ahead of time up to adding the Parmesan. It will keep, covered, at room temperature for a few hours, or up to a day in the fridge before finishing in the oven, so it's a great make-ahead dish. If refrigerated, just bring it back to room temp and bake at 425 for about 30 minutes.
• SECOND NOTE: Don't let this sit in the oven after it's finished or it will become gooey.