Baked Pasta

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Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
farfalle/ chifferi/ macaroni pasta (any bite size pasta of your choice)	200 gms
red capsicum, cut into strips	1
yellow capsicum, cut into strips	1
grated parmesan cheese	2 tbsp
grated cheddar cheese	1/4 cup
for the sauce
medium size tomatoes, blanched and pureed	8
cloves of garlic, chopped	4
medium size onion, chopped	1
olive oil	2.5 tbsp
mixed dried Italian herbs	2 tbsp
Salt and pepper	to taste

Bring about 1 litre of water to boil. Add some salt and 1/2 tbsp olive oil and pasta to the boiling water. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until the pasta is al-dente. Drain, wash in cold water to stop the cooking process and keep aside.
To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan. Add the chopped garlic and sauté until the garlic starts to brown. Add the onions and sauté until the onions start to turn soft and translucent.
Add the tomato puree, the dried herbs and salt and pepper to taste in the pan. Mix well and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Using a hand blender, blend the sauce to a paste.
In a separate pan, slightly sauté the red and yellow capsicum for just about 2 minutes. The capsicum tastes better when it still has a bite and is not very soft.
Preheat oven to 150ºC.
Now comes the part to put it all together. In a baking dish, put a layer of sauce, then a layer of capsicum, and then the cooked pasta. Follow it again with another layer of sauce and capsicum. Sprinkle the grated parmesan and then cover with grated cheddar (if you prefer, use mozzarella)
Bake for 10 minutes in middle rack until the cheese has browned. Serve hot!

Baked pasta is quite easy to make and it looks like gourmet meal right out of a restaurant. It’s also perfect for weekday night hosting as the pasta sauce is the only thing that takes the majority of time and it can easily be cooked well in advance and freezed.