The Lunch Lady
Penne and meatballs with garden marinara
Penne and meatballs in a smooth marinara packed with roasted zucchini, squash and a full garden of vegetables. Everything for the sauce and the dinner is right here.
Published
- Servings
- 6
- Total time
- About 1 hour 45 minutes
Includes making the sauce. Cook the pasta and meatballs while it simmers. With sauce already made, dinner takes about 30 minutes.
As much of the garden as possible
Wednesday's goal was to throw as much of the garden into the marinara as possible and have it taste amazing. Zucchini, squash, bell pepper, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and whole peeled tomatoes. It was an incredible sauce.
We served it with penne and meatballs. The vegetables cook right into the sauce, so you get a smooth red sauce that clings to every tube of pasta.
Get the water out first
Roast the zucchini and squash before they go in the pot. Spread them out so they get some color and lose moisture. A crowded pan just steams them.
Give the carrots, onion, celery and pepper time too. They need to soften all the way through before you add the tomatoes. Those two steps keep this from tasting like watery vegetables stirred into pasta sauce.
Then the immersion blender is the pro move. Blend right in the pot until everything is smooth. Keep the blade submerged so the hot sauce stays where it belongs. Let it simmer until it coats a spoon.
Finish the pasta in the sauce
Pull the penne a minute or two before it is done and finish it in the simmering marinara. Stir it around so the sauce gets into the ridges and tubes. You want red pasta all the way through, with very little watery runoff on the plate.
We used prepared meatballs for this lunch. That's a useful shortcut at home too. I've included a simple homemade option if you want to make them yourself.
Home recipe
Penne and meatballs with garden marinara
The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer
- Servings
- 6
- Prep time
- About 25 minutes
- Cook time
- About 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total time
- About 1 hour 45 minutes
Includes making the sauce. Cook the pasta and meatballs while it simmers. With sauce already made, dinner takes about 30 minutes.
Equipment: Rimmed sheet pan, 4- to 5-quart heavy pot, immersion blender, large pasta pot, colander, small saucepan; thermometer if making meatballs
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go.
Garden marinara
Pasta and meatballs
Optional homemade meatballs, replacing the prepared meatballs
Instructions
Roast the squash
- Heat a conventional oven to 425°F. If the squash is oversized, scoop out the spongy, seedy center before cutting it.
- Toss the zucchini and yellow squash with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Spread in one layer on a rimmed sheet pan with space between the pieces.
- Roast for about 25 to 35 minutes, turning once, until tender with golden edges and visibly less moisture. Start the vegetable base while they roast.
Build the marinara
- Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in the heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pepper. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring, until very soft. A piece of carrot should squash easily against the side of the pot. If anything sticks, use a small splash of juice from the canned tomatoes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it darkens to brick red. Add the garlic and stir for about 45 seconds.
- Add the roasted squash and all the tomatoes with their juice. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and immersion-blend until completely smooth, keeping the blender head submerged. No carrot or celery pieces should remain.
- Stir in the basil, oregano, black pepper and starting salt. Add the whole bay leaf after blending. Return to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom often. The sauce should coat a spoon without a watery edge.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste while warm and add salt a pinch at a time. If the tomatoes still taste sharply acidic, try 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar, then taste again before adding more. Expect roughly 3 1/2 to 4 cups sauce, depending on how far it reduces.
Cook the meatballs while the sauce simmers
- For prepared meatballs, heat them following their package directions. Start them early enough to finish with the sauce. For homemade meatballs, use the option below instead.
- Once the marinara is ready, spoon about 1 cup into a small saucepan. Add the hot meatballs and turn gently to coat. Keep warm over low heat. Leave the rest of the sauce in the larger pot for the pasta.
Homemade meatball option
- Keep the oven at 425°F after roasting the squash. Mix the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Add the ground beef and pork. Mix gently just until combined. Form about 24 equal meatballs, roughly 1 1/2 inches across, and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and the center of the largest meatball reaches 160°F. Size and oven affect the time. You can do this while the sauce simmers.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the reserved cup of warm marinara.
Finish the penne in the sauce
- When the sauce has about 15 minutes left, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it. Add the penne and stir well at the beginning so it does not stick.
- Start tasting 2 minutes before the shortest package time. Drain when the center is still firm, about 1 to 2 minutes short of done. Save 1 cup pasta water before draining. Do not rinse or oil the pasta.
- Put the penne straight into the larger pot of bubbling marinara. Stir over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and the sauce clings inside the tubes. If the sauce is too tight, add reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time.
- Divide among six bowls. Top with the meatballs and their sauce. Finish with Parmesan and herbs if you like.
Recipe notes
- Have sauce ready? Substitute about 4 cups prepared marinara for the Garden marinara ingredients, reserve 1 cup for the meatballs, and follow the meatball and pasta steps. Allow about 30 minutes with prepared meatballs, or follow a longer package heating time.
- This is a family-sized version of our school sauce. The vegetables and tomatoes give it body without butter or cream. Cook by texture as well as time; home ovens and tomatoes vary.
- If using a countertop blender, work in small batches using the manufacturer's hot-liquid directions. Never seal hot sauce in a personal blender cup.
- Prepared meatballs vary in size, ingredients and heating directions. Check the package if you need to avoid wheat, milk or egg.
- The homemade meatballs are an optional home version. We used prepared meatballs for this school lunch.