Ingredients
Vegetables
2 lb plum tomatoes, (about 15 to 18) stemmed, seeded, and quartered
1 head broccoli, cut into chunks
2 large yellow bell peppers, seeded, and quartered
2 large poblano or Anaheim chiles stemmed, seeded, and quartered
3 carrots, cut into large chunks, stem ends discarded
1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and cut into eighths
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp capers, well drained and lightly rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves, stacked and cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade); reserving some for garnish
1 lb bacon or speck, cooked until crisp, drained on paper towels and crumbled, optional
Sauce
2 tbsp butter or olive oil (if using oil, add extra salt)
2 tbsp flour or rice flour for gluten-free option
2 cups vegetable, chicken, or veal stock
2 tsp dried oregano
1 medium onion, ends cut off, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Pasta and Cheeses
1 lb ziti, rotini, or penne pasta, cooked in well-salted water until al dente and drained (use gluten-free pasta if needed, cooking just until done)
1 lb mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, shaved thinly or shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Set oven rack to top third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Roast Vegetables: On a baking sheet with sides, place tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, chiles, carrots, onions, garlic and capers. Drizzle with the oil and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are beginning to brown. Toss occasionally with a heatproof spatula.
Make Sauce: While vegetables are roasting, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and cook, whisking about 2 minutes. Make sure there are no lumps before adding any other ingredients. Stir in stock, a little bit at a time. Add oregano, onion and Parmesan, and cook until it reaches the thickness you would like, stirring constantly. Remove onion pieces and set aside.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (cook gluten-free pasta until just done). Drain and toss with 1 tbsp of the sauce to keep it from sticking together.
Transfer roasted vegetables to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. Add in 3/4 of the cut basil and crumbled bacon if using, tossing to evenly distribute. Remaining basil will be used for garnishing.
Assembly and Baking: Increase oven to 375°F.
Ladle 1/3 of sauce on the bottom of prepared baking pan. In layers, add half of vegetables, half of cooked pasta, half of mozzarella, remaining pasta, 1/3 sauce, remaining mozzarella, remaining vegetables, remaining sauce, and the Parmesan. Alternately, you can use individual au gratin baking dishes, layering ingredients in the same order.
Cover with foil and bake for approximately 35 minutes (15 minutes if using gluten-free pasta). Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more or until bubbly and top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into individual servings and sprinkle each lightly with a little of the reserved basil and serve.
May be baked up to 2 days ahead, covered with foil, and kept in the refrigerator. Reheat in a low oven before serving.
