You don’t usually bake dry pasta, so that is something cool about this dish! Plus, it is filling and yummy, easy to make, and doesn’t make many dirty dishes.

There are very few pasta recipes on this blog because I usually avoid too many carbs, but this is good and you can add a layer of cooked chicken or poached tilapia into it to balance it out more, if you wish. Here I made it as a vegetarian version, and we ate it as our whole meal the day I made it. Then I wrapped up half servings to warm up as leftovers, freezing several of them. So this makes a delicious meal for a crowd, or great leftovers for future side dishes.

This recipe comes from Tieghan Gerard and I’ve modified it a bit.

Angel Hair Pasta Bake Recipe

1 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cup olive oil (or oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar)
1 Tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
Pinch of sea salt
16 oz fresh mozzarella, grated
1 cup havarti cheese, grated
3 or 4 red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan
several fresh basil leaves, chopped (for garnish)

Preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack in the center of the oven.

Put the dry pasta in a 9″x13″ baking dish. Add the olive oil, dried basil, oregano, parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, pepper, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and salt. Use your hands to toss to evenly distribute.

Add 3 cups of water and gently toss once more. (If you are going to add chicken or fish add it here.) Add the mozzarella and havarti in a single layer. Top with a layer of peppers. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Bake for 50 minutes until the pasta water has been absorbed, the cheese melted, and the peppers starting to brown at the edges. Remove from oven and use a couple paper towels to blot away any extra grease. Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve hot.

Yum!  Enjoy!