Baked Pasta Primavera with Cream Cheese Alfredo
Penne and sauteed vegetables in a cream cheese Parmesan sauce, topped with mozzarella and panko and baked until golden.
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Small saucepan
- 9x13 inch baking dish
- Whisk
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ¼ red onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chopped yellow squash
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
- 6 oz dry penne pasta about 3 cups cooked
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup skim milk
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp low fat cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
Cooking
- Prep and preheat. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch dish, then boil the penne in salted water until just shy of al dente and drain.
- Saute the vegetables. Cook the onions and garlic in hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, add the squash and zucchini with salt and pepper for about 6 minutes, then add the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Mix with pasta. Fold the vegetables into the penne in a large bowl.
- Make the sauce. Whisk the flour into melted butter for 2 minutes, add the milk, simmer 5 minutes until thick, then stir in the Parmesan and cream cheese off the heat.
- Assemble. Coat the pasta and vegetables with the sauce, spread in the dish, and top with mozzarella and panko.
- Bake. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling and golden, then garnish with thyme and rest 5 minutes.
Notes
Substitutions: Use whole milk or half and half for a richer sauce, and swap in broccoli or bell pepper for the squash.
Tips: Pull the pasta from the water just shy of al dente because it finishes in the oven. Drain the sauteed vegetables well.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat until 165 degrees F.