Baked pasta

Ingredients: 

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• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups grated cheese, such as Monterey Jack or mozzarella, divided
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound small whole wheat or whole grain pasta, such as penne, shells or rotini
• 1 (16-ounce) package mixed frozen vegetables (or about 3 cups cooked, chopped vegetables)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as basil or flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (15-ounce) can puréed butternut squash or pumpkin (or 1 3/4 cups homemade purée)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method: 

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Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large, heatproof bowl.  Gently stir in tomatoes, vegetables, squash purée, 1 cup cheese, basil, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Scoop it all into a (9x13-inch) baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray first, if you like) and scatter remaining 1 cup cheese over the top. Bake until hot throughout and cheese is melted on top, about 40 minutes. Let pasta rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:450 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 66g carbohydrate (10g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 21g protein