Creamy Roasted Vegetable Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 2 zucchini
- 2 yellow quash
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms
- 1 large japanese eggplant
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use half chili oil for a kick)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided
- Fresh or dried herbs (thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, etc)
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 1 cup grated truffle cheese (1/2 cup for Mornay Sauce)
- 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan (1/3 cup for Mornay Sauce)

For Mornay (Cheese Sauce):
- 2 cups Milk (whole milk or 2 % milk)
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 3 tablespoons Flour
- Salt/Pepper
- Truffle and parmesan cheeses above

*Recipe loosely adapted from foodnetwork.com


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut all of your vegetables to your desired size. Cut them uniformly. I cut mine about 1/2 inch.
3. On a baking sheet, toss the vegetables generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Taste for seasonings and add as needed. Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes, but not all the way. 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.

5. Meanwhile, make your Mornay Sauce:
- Melt butter in a pot on medium/low heat. Once melted, take off the heat
- Whisk in the flour and place back on the heat to cook slightly. Do not allow too much color. The roux should be blond. A couple minutes is good.
- Take off heat again, and whisk in a little bit of cold milk. Whisk in a little in the beginning. Once the first round of milk is incorporated you can put back on the heat (medium) and whisk in the additional milk in larger batches.
- Keep whisking over medium heat until starts it starts to thicken. Once the mixture comes to a boil, it is at it’s full thickening power. If it is too thick, you can whisk in more milk. Only cook for a minute after it’s come to a boil.
- Stir 1/2 cup truffle/fontina cheese, 1/3 cup parmesan, and salt/pepper to taste.

6. Toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, 1/2 cup truffle/fontina cheese, 1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, and salt/pepper to taste. Gently mix until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
7. Pour the pasta into a greased casserole dish. Top with the Mornay Sauce and 1/3 cup parmesan Bake until top is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.