Baked Penne with Mushrooms and Mozzarella

By Kath Dedon

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Baked Penne with Mushrooms and Mozzarella is a tasty and easy vegetarian meal adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe in How to Cook Everything. If you have the book, it’s his Baked Ziti recipe. I substituted penne, and used less mozzarella than the pound that he called for. If you like the flavors of lasagna, you’ll enjoy this simple recipe.

Bittman advises to undercook the pasta because it will finish cooking in the sauce. My box of penne suggested 11 minutes for the cooking time. I cooked it for 8 minutes and in the finished dish the pasta was perfectly cooked.

Serve with a salad and bread for a satisfying one-dish dinner!

Update January 29, 2023: I recently made this using the full pound of mozzarella that Mark Bittman recommends. Delicious!

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Baked Penne with Mushrooms and Mozzarella

(Adapted from the Baked Ziti recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 8 (leftovers freeze well for future meals)

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound mushrooms, sliced (any kind, I used regular white mushrooms)

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (28-oz) can plum tomatoes with the juice, chopped (I cut them up right in the can with kitchen shears, and then cut up any pieces that were still too large after I put them in the pan.)

1 pound penne or ziti

¾ – 1 pound mozzarella, preferably fresh, grated or chopped (I used small mozzarella balls cut in half)

About ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

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1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

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cutting fresh mozzarella balls in half

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1. Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water

2. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the penne.

3. Preheat the oven to 400˚.

4. Grease, or oil a large baking pan (9 x 13 is a good size)

5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water they release begins to evaporate (about 5 minutes).

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6. Stir in the onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened (about 5 minutes).

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7. Remove the porcini from the water with a slotted spoon (so you leave the grit behind on the bottom). Chop into smaller pieces, if they are large, and add to the pan. (You can carefully pour the mushroom broth from the porcini into a container, leaving the grit at the bottom. You’ll have a flavorful mushroom broth to freeze for later use.)

8. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice to the pan. Stir and simmer gently while you cook the pasta.

9. Cook the pasta, but undercook it. (I cooked my 11-minute penne for 8 minutes.)

10. Add the pasta and about 2/3 of the mozzarella to the pan. Stir well and then transfer to the prepared baking pan.

11. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan.

ready for the oven

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12. Bake until it’s a bit browned and the cheese is bubbly, about 20 – 30 minutes.