Portabella Penne Casserole

Before putting the cheese on top:

After melting the cheese on top in the oven:

Tonight we tried a new recipe. It was pretty tasty! I was looking for new vegetarian recipes and this one looked a little different. I did make a few changes. First of all I used fresh mozzarella, we love it. I only used 1/4 a cup of butter instead of 1/2 a cup of margarine like it called for. I used fresh basil from my garden instead of dried. I used more like 2 tsp of oil instead of 2 tbsp. and I used skim milk. I squeezed the moisture out of the spinach first and I also didn't have penne pasta so I used whole wheat rotini. My husband and I liked it as did the one year old who had a bit of it. My 3 year old did not like it, but that's nothing new!

I know it's spelled wrong, but that is how it is listed on allrecipes.com

Portobello Penne Pasta Casserole
PREP TIME 15 Min

COOK TIME 30 Min

READY IN 45 Min

INGREDIENTS

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used 1 tsp)

1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup margarine (I only used 1/4 cup of butter)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used fresh from the garden)

2 cups milk (I used skim)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used fresh mozzarella)

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I squeezed liquid out first)

1/4 cup soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms, cook 1 minute, and set aside. Melt margarine in the saucepan. Mix in flour, garlic, and basil. Gradually mix in milk until thickened. Stir in 1 cup cheese until melted. Remove saucepan from heat, and mix in cooked pasta, mushrooms, spinach, and soy sauce. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly brown.