Vegetarian Pasta Bake

Hi friends! I'm back from the Blogher Conference. My first ever foodie conference and I've gotta say that it exceeded my expectations. One of my favorite panels discussed "simple post processing for food photography, free cheap and easy tools".The expert panel, Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple , Bridget Ams of The Way the Cookie Crumbles & Brady Evans of Branny Boils Over  presented a wealth of tips and insight.  Now I know why my favorite food bloggers photos look so bright & crisp. They are enhancing their photos using software tools! I'm going to download GIMP for Windows this week (there is a Mac version too). Did I mention it's free?! Love that.

Beyond the technical information I had the opportunity to connect with so many people.  We laughed, snapped photos, tweeted and formed friendships.  We met manufacturers, sampled products and were given  an incredible variety of samples to take home.  One such product, manufactured by Progresso, isn't on the grocery store shelves yet.  It's a Recipe Starter Cooking Sauce sold in a can.  They offer 6 different flavors and after last nights meal I'm already planning to ration the other 5 cans.  It was delicious! Kids loved it too.

How to make a creamy pasta bake:

• Progresso Cooking Sauce "Creamy Parmesan Basil"
• 12 ounces macaroni
• 12 ounces frozen veggie mix (we like the fiesta mix because it has beans in it)
• Bread crumbs to garnish
• Fresh basil to garnish
• Shredded cheese to garnish
• Pepper

Boil noodles until al dente. Drain noodles and place in a large bowl.  Thaw frozen veggies.  Place in large bowl with cooked macaroni & yummy cooking sauce. Toss and place in ramekins or casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven for a minute or 2 until the cheese has melted. Remove and serve.  Creamy, pasta goodness! Yum!

Thank you to Progesso...we are fans of your cooking sauce!
                               
Thank you Diane, Brady & Bridget. Soon my photos will be looking "pretty" too.