Veggie Pasta Casserole

This is another one of my meals on-the-go. You can make this dish and put it in the fridge for a few days until you're ready to cook it. This meal is also pretty simple to put together.

First I started with a red, orange, green, and yellow pepper—diced. I love using pepper because not only are they pretty, but they add an nice array of flavors to your dish.

I used quite a bit on onion in this recipe because I wanted that extra crunch. I used about a half of a red onion and a half of a white onion. 

Since I love a little kick to my food, I added a green chili and a jalapeno into the mix. 

Then, I sliced up a large zucchini.

I also cut up a yellow squash. 

Once I finished the most time consuming portion of the meal—the cutting—I put on a pot of boiling water and cooked my pasta. *I probably should have used a newer pot because this one looks pretty beat up... J

When the noodles finished cooking and were drained, I added a jar of garlic tomato sauce and two fresh tomatoes, which I diced into large chunks. 

Next, I mixed everything together and covered the top of the casserole with the same cheese blend I used in my enchiladas, which is a mix of Monterrey jack, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar. I added some wooden stakes to the corners to keep the foil from baking onto the cheese when I put it in the oven. 

When I was ready to heat it up, a few days after making it, I heated the oven up to 400 degrees and let it bake for about 40 minutes without removing the foil. I then removed the foil and baked it for another 15 to get the cheese fully melted and the edges a bit crunchy. (I baked mine for a little longer than usual because the dish I prepared the casserole in was very deep and I wanted to make sure the bottom wasn't still raw.) 

It turned out great and I had a lot of leftovers for the rest of the week!

*If you prefer a more "saucy" pasta, I would recommend using 1 1/2 or 2 jars of sauce.*