This is a very flexible recipe; you can use any kind of pasta you want or you have at the moment. I usually make this recipe with macaroni, but this time I tried it with penne.
You can be really creative with the sauce, too.
1 pack of whole wheat penne
what I used for the sauce:
4-5 tomatoes, grated or 2 cans of petite diced tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 peppers, chopped (I used sweet red Italian peppers, but any pepper would be good)
1/2 cup of black olives
1 tsp oregano leaves
1 tsp crushed pepper
1/2 tsp mint flakes
1/2 black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
salt
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups grated cheese
what can be added:
basil
mushroom
corn kennels
-Boil penne as to your wish; do not over cook it
-In a deep skillet heat olive oil and stir in onions and garlic. Cook until onions are soft.
-Add peppers and olives (and mushroom if you're using any). Stir for 2-3 minutes and add the paste. Stir for another 2 minutes
-Stir in tomatoes, black pepper, crushed pepper, oregano leaves, mint flakes, cumin, and salt (and basil)
-Simmer on low until the tomatoes are cooked. After turning it off, add parsley
-In an oven dish put the penne, the tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup water. (If you want to add corn kernels, this is a good time) Mix well and bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 20-25 minutes. Cover the top during this 20-25 minute baking process with aluminum foil, so that the pennes on the top won't be dry
-After 25 minutes, put the grated cheese on top and bake for another couple of minutes until the cheese melts
