I made this recipe for my mom’s birthday for three reasons. 1. It has no meat (she’s a vegetarian). 2. Pasta is delicious and I’m an addict. And 3. It’s pretty fancy looking. It was a little pricier to make because of the olives, bocconcini, and mushrooms but it was yummy. The presentation was delightful and the flavor was fantastic. The veggies made a sort of tapenade blend, which we thoroughly enjoyed. My family rated it a 10/10 and worthy of serving to guests. It tasted just as great the next day!
Ingredients
2 ½ cups packaged dried multi-grain or whole grain penne pasta (8oz)
4 cups packaged fresh baby spinach
2 cups fresh cremini mushrooms, quartered
½ cup coarsely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (I like the California blend that Costco sells)
¼ cup chopped and pitted kalamata olives
½ cup basil pesto
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 four-inch ball (8oz) fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (use an egg slicer)
½ cup shredded fresh basil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 1 ½-quart au gratin dish; set aside. In a large pot, cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water according to package directions, adding spinach and mushrooms for the last minute of cooking. Drain pasta mixture and place it back in the pot.
Stir dried tomatoes and olives into pasta mixture. Add pesto and vinegar; toss gently to coat. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared dish. Cover dish with foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven. Uncover dish and top pasta mixture with cheese slices. Return dish to oven; bake 10 more minutes or until cheese lightly browns. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with basil.