pasta bake with fire roasted vegetables

Ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta shells
1 pint fire roasted cherry tomatoes (see below)
2 cups remaining zucchini, onion, bell pepper and garlic mix from yesterday (see below)
1 cup grated parmesean
2 cups Italian shredded cheese blend


I am not really a fan of raw tomatoes. Every chance I get I will cook them just so I don't have to even think about making anything that contains an uncooked tomato. One of my favorite ways is to fire or oven roast them with olive oil and balsamic. Its a great topping for salads, pastas, chicken or fish. So yesterday while we were grilling I took a pint of cherry tomatoes from the box and put them in a foil pouch with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and some salt and pepper. After we had finished our grilling and were eating, I popped them on to the hot side of the grill and cooked them covered for 15 minutes (The same can be accomplished in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, but although while really delicious, they will lack the smokey flavor- which you might not want anyway, your choice.).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan, heat the tomatoes, and veggie mixture over medium heat. Once it is hot, about 9-10 minutes, stir in the parmesan. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but take it out about 1 minute before its supposed to be al dente, cause this is still going to cook in the oven for a few minutes. Combine the pasta and tomato/veggie goodness in a baking dish and top with shredded cheese. Since both the pasta and the veggies are warm, we can bake this uncovered for a short amount of time. Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes, until the cheese gets melty and starts to turn golden brown. Now hold everyone back from digging in before you serve, because that dish is gonna be hot. This was an awesome fast and easy meal that gave us some tasty lunches in the days to follow. Not too bad what a little planning ahead can do eh?