Baked Rotini Pasta

I was introduced to the world of pasta by my husband when I came here. I remember the first time he took me to Olive Garden I hardly ate a morsel....all I had was salad for dinner!!
Then one day he made Pasta for me (Indianized way though!!) and that was the start of it...there after whenever we went out for dinner..it was always to an Italian Restaurant (being Vegetarian ..we get lot of Veggie options here)!! Now I try to improvise it (I try to make it authentic and some how do not like the Indianized form!!) and make different varieties of it.

The one I love is the Baked Pasta with Alfredo sauce.
But this recipe is for Tomato based Baked Rotini pasta (you can make this with Penne, Farfalle or Manicotti too) –

Rotini Pasta – 3 Cups
15 Broccoli florets (2 small bunch)
1 Zucchini (yellow or green) – cut into 2 inch piece
2 Bell Pepper (Capsicum -one red and one yellow) – cut into 2 inch piece
Peas – 3 tbs
Beans – Handful – cut into 1 inch pieces
Bread Crumbs
Cheese Shredded Parmesan
Tomato based sauce


Take water in a pan and let it boil. Add salt and Pasta to it when it reaches the boiling point and boil it for 5 -8 minutes (it must be cooked al dente – it means “that Pasta is cooked to the "tender crisp" phase - still offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through.”).
Transfer the Pasta to a colander and drain the water from it.
Take 3 tbs of olive oil and warm it. Now add the vegetables and sauté. They should not become soggy. They should stay firm.
Add the pasta to the vegetables and mix it well. Now add the pasta sauce and stir it for few more minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 350 Deg.
Take a baking tray or corelle ware which is oven safe. Pour half of the Veggie Pasta mix and then add shredded parmesan cheese. Spread another layer of pasta sauce and the remaining veggie pasta. Top it with more cheese and spread the bread crumbs.
Bake this in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve it with bread.