Baked Penne Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Very delicious and easy to make, this popular Italian dish is made from penne, cooked in white sauce and oregano, with yummy cheddar cheese and roasted vegetables. Penne makes an excellent and versatile pasta as its hollow center allows it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops...
Health Check – The best penne is usually made with durum wheat, a cultivar known for its hardness and resilience. Durum wheat penne will remain chewy and resilient through the cooking process, even if slightly overcooked, whereas pasta made with softer wheat will tend to fall apart. Durum is the hardest of all wheats. Its density, combined with its high protein content and gluten strength, make durum the wheat of choice for producing premium pasta products.

Ingredients
1 cup penne pasta (serves 2 people)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon corn flour
2 tablespoon plain flour
¾ cup milk
Pinch of black pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
Salt to taste
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped tomato
1 finely chopped capsicum
1 green chilli
Grated Cheddar/Mozzarella cheese for topping
Tomato Ketchup

Cooking Method for White Sauce
1. Take a pan and let it heat. Add butter to the pan and as it starts to melt add the corn flour and plain flour. Mix well to remove the lumps.

2. Now add the milk to it and stir for 3-5 minutes. Mix it nicely to remove any lumps formed.
3. Add oregano, salt and black pepper to the sauce and mix again. Cook for another 1 minute or so.
4. White sauce is now ready.

Cooking Method for Pasta
1. Take a cooking vessel and put the penne to boil adding 2 cups of water. Let it boil for 10 minutes on medium heat.
2. After 10 minutes check if the penne has boiled perfectly. Drain water and wash it nicely.
3. Mix the penne and white sauce together.
4. Take a baking tray and grease it with oil. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven for 5-10 minutes on 200 degrees centigrade.
5. Spread the penne, mixed with white sauce, on the baking tray.
6. Sprinkle the chopped vegetables over it – onion, tomato, green chilli and capsicum. (One of my readers suggested to also add sweet corns and yellow/red bell peppers for some more flavour)
7. Spread some tomato ketchup on the vegetables.
8. Finally top the pasta with grated cheddar/mozzarella cheese and place the baking tray in the pre-heated oven.
9. Let the pasta bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.
10. After 20 minutes switch off the oven and let the pasta cool for 10 minutes.
11. Your delicious Baked Penne Pasta is now ready to be served.