Single-Serving Baked Penne

This recipe is a personal favorite of mine that I've been making at home for several years. It's quick, easy, delicious, and filling. It's also not terribly expensive (especially if you do as I do, and freeze the peppers and onions you won't be using immediately; one freezer bag of that mix usually lasts me about 4-5 months), and can easily be expanded out to become an excellent dish for a family of any size. I hope you enjoy my blog's first recipe!

Baked Penne (Single serving)

2oz (uncooked, by weight) Penne pasta

1/2 cup Canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup julienne pepper and onion mix^*

1/4 cup fresh mushrooms (canned mushrooms work as well)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds

1/8 tsp toasted fennel seeds

Pinch of Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, and Smoked Paprika

S+P to taste

1 Tbsp Canola oil

1/4 cup red wine (cooking wine is fine)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Begin preheating your oven's broiler (check the optional note at the bottom) while setting the water for your pasta on high heat. Put the cumin and fennel seeds into the oven to toast for 3-5 minutes (It shouldn't take long, but use your own judgment. Just be sure not to burn them. You also don't have to toast the seeds at all, but it will bring another element to the flavor.) 

2. When the water begins to boil, add a little salt. When the water has returned to a full boil, add the pasta, stir, and turn down to medium heat. Cook uncovered for 7-8 minutes. 

3. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet over high heat, add mushrooms, and the pepper and onion mixture, and saute until you get some coloration. 

4. There should be some discoloration on the bottom of your skillet (unless you're using a non-stick pan, in which case add the red wine, but don't scrape the pan). Add the red wine, and scrape the pan with a wooden or bamboo spoon until you have as much of it off as you can get (that discoloration, and stuck on material, is called the "fond", which is itself French for "foundation", in restaurant kitchens, and getting it off the pan will lend some good flavor to your sauce, the process in this step is called "deglazing"). 

5. Add the canned tomatoes, as well as the herbs, spices, salt, and pepper, to the skillet, turn down the heat to medium and simmer while you deal with the pasta. 

6. Once the pasta has reached the desired doneness, pour it into a colander to drain off the water, and add it to your sauce. Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce. Bring back to a simmer, and let simmer for 1 minute. 

Optional: You can stop here, and have this dish unbaked, as well as with or without the cheese, if you'd like. All ways are delicious, and it's up to you. 

7. Pour pasta and sauce into a single-serving baking dish (I use a round dish made by Pyrex, myself), add the cheese on top, place in the middle of your oven, and let broil until the top begins to turn golden-brown. I find this usually takes about 3 minutes. 

8. Remove from the oven, and place on a plate over which you've placed a clean, folded kitchen towel (I use this as a precautionary measure in case my plates can't take the heat). Drizzle with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and enjoy!

^*Pepper and Onion mixture:

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

2 large red onions

1. Remove the top and bottom from both onions, cut in half, and peel away the outermost layer. 

2. Cut the tops off of the peppers, remove the seeds, cut in half, and clean out any stray seeds. 

3. Cut all vegetables julienne (restaurant standards say ^1/8inx^1/8inx2^1/2in, but all you need are thin strips, not stringent requirements). 

4. measure out 1/4 cup, and put what you aren't going to use now into a freezer bag and freeze 

(Tip: Come back and massage the bag every two hours for the first 4-6 hours so that the ice crystals don't get too big, and you end up with a frozen block of veggies. If you forget, you'll just have to break up the block later when you want some veggies for this, or another recipe. This will just make your vegetables easier to use.)

Note: Please let me know if you have any troubles understanding or producing this recipe, or understanding my terminology. I'm trying to write these so that anyone can make them, but I've worked in restaurants for quite some time and I'm incredibly used to these terms and procedures. Other people might not be. Thanks!