Zesty Mozzarella Spaghetti Bake
Servings 4 people
Calories 850kcal
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- 6 quart saucepan
- Pasta strainer
Ingredients
- 12 oz Pasta (Spaghetti, Ziti, or Penne) cooked al dente
- 1 medium Onion Diced
- 2 medium Zucchini Diced
- 28 oz Tomato or Marinara Sauce to save time you can also use my- Hearty Veggie Spaghetti Sauce recipe (link here)
- 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Sliced
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 cloved Garlic Minced
- 10 tbsp Tuscan Herb or Basil Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 lb Italian Sausage (optional) if you must have meat in it
Instructions
- While pasta cooks, heat a large drizzle of olive oil in cast iron pan. Add zucchini, onion, garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Cook, until just browned, 4-6 minutes, season with salt and pepper. (This is where you would add this meat if you going that route)
- Add sauce, cooked pasta, and reserved 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to pan with veggies; lightly stir to combine.
- Stir in half the Parmesan, season with plenty of salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
- In a small bowl, stir together panko, remaining Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. Top pasta with disks of mozzarella slices, then top with the panko mixture.
- Place Cast Iron pan on top rack of oven on Broil until panko is golden brown, sauce is bubbly, and cheese has melted,approximately 5-7 minutes. You will want to watch carefully to avoid burning. Serve directly from pan and drizzle with remaining basil oil.