3 Cheese Rigatoni with Peppers

Now this is what I call a comforting fall food. Leaves on the trees have almost fallen. The trees look so bare. Things have started to change around here. Gone are those long summer days. At 6 AM when we leave for work, it is too dark. The sign of the old man winter knocking on the door. We all still have that wishful thinking and hope that the hot summer days could extend up to end of December, at least till Christmas! Don’t laugh at me! I know it’s too much to ask. With naked trees, darker and shorter days, the snow will arrive any time. Cool mornings remind us to pull out those jackets buried deep in the suitcase somewhere in the basement. Turning on the oven seems very comforting. And now it’s time to stop my whining and go on with the posting!


Well, the past weekend was one of the typical fall weekends. Cool and dark. And it was raining too. I just got the propane tank refilled hoping to use it before our thanksgiving. Will see how it goes. Since I was cooking indoors, I thought about making a baked pasta dish. It’s been a long time since we had baked pasta. And Fall is the season when peppers are in abundance. So I decided to use them with pasta as well. I always have mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago and Feta cheeses on hand. So I made this.

3 Cheese Rigatoni With Roasted Peppers

Ingredients
1 lb. Rigatoni pasta, cooked as per package directions
2 jars of your favourite marinara sauce
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
2-3 medium red onions, sliced
1 each large red, yellow and orange pepper, sliced
½ cup each shredded Mozza, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses
Oil as needed
Salt and pepper as needed

How to:

Pre heat the oven to 400° F.
Saute onions and peppers in oil on medium high heat till they are tender but crisp.
Toss pasta with Marinara sauce.
In an oven proof, oiled dish, spread some pasta, layered with veggie mix and topped with cheese.
Bake until the cheese melts.
Enjoy with a scoop of more hot sauce on side.