Parmesan Penne Bake

Okay for a quick and easy dinner solution the other night I came up with a "mac and cheese" for a refined pallet.


Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (4 servings)
Italian blend shredded cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, Mozzarella)
Italian blend spices (LOVE my pizza and pasta spices grinder!)
Salt
Pepper
Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
Bread Crumbs (Italian if available)

Utensils:
Saucepan
Glass baking dish 8x8 or 9" round

-Preheat oven to 325.
-In sauce pan add one tsp of minced garlic, 1Tbsp of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper, simmer on medium heat for 3 minutes.
-Add appropriate amount of water as per penne boiling directions.  Boil noodles and strain once done.
- In oven safe glass dish add noodles, 2 Tbsp of Italian seasonings and 1 cup of blended cheeses, mix well into noodles.  Add another thin layer of cheese to the top of the dish and dust the top with bread crumbs.  Lighlty shake olive oil over top of the dish leave uncovered and place in oven.
-Leave in oven for 20-25 minutes uncovered and switch to the broiler for last 3 minutes of cooking.  Be sure to watch your dish and make sure not to over broil.  I like mine to have a crispy top, hence the broiler but this is an optional step.




Serve as is or add a side of your favorite marinara sauce (mmmm...home made sauce :)) for a true Italian pasta dish.

Enjoy!