Creamy Baked Pasta

We made this versatile pasta dish for supper last night. It is another Bon Appétit recipe. There are so many variations you could do with the meat, veggies, and herbs. Its another great potluck recipe like the oven risotto.

Creamy Baked Pasta

12 oz rigatoni (we used penne)

1 1/2 cups diced ham (we only used about 2 slices... you could omit it all together for a vegetarian version)

4 plum tomatoes, chopped... we also used chopped cooked asparagus and frozen peas

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped/crumbled

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 cup heavy cream (we used half-and-half)

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, but still firm to the bite. Drain. Place in prepared baking dish. Mix in meat, cheese, veggies, and thyme. Pour cream over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. After 15 minutes uncover and stir, coating pasta with melted cheese. Bake uncovered another 30 minutes, stirring once in the middle.