Pasta, Feta and Kalamata

Greg never cared for this recipe as much as I did so I reworked it.
Updated March 2020 (during the coronavirus pandemic)

1 lb curly egg noodles
1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c grated cheese blend – Italian, Mexican or cheddar jack
1/3 c grated Parmesan
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2  c fresh or frozen peas (thawed)
1/4 c Kalamata olives
1 c cherry or grape tomatoes, each sliced in half
1 t dried, or 2 T fresh oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Topping
panko bread crumbs
grated Parmesan
olive oil
more salt & pepper
snipped fresh parsley
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Cook egg noodles and set aside.  Set oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a large casserole dish with olive oil. Mix all the other ingredients (except topping) together in a large bowl, then add cooked egg noodles and toss well to blend. Transfer into the baking dish.  Top with bread crumbs and more grated Parmesan then spray or drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until set.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

adapted from a magazine clipping – recipe by Julie Rosenfeld

Bulgarian Pepper Casserole

I first made this in 2010. Perfect for pepper season, or use frozen chopped peppers. Also a good way to use up ricotta. Updated 2022.

UPPER LAYER
3 c cooked brown rice or farro, or a mix
1 T lemon juice
3 T freshly minced dill or 3 t dried dill
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 c cottage or ricotta cheese

BOTTOM LAYER
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, minced
4 bell peppers, chopped
1 t salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 t oregano
2 t basil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 c feta cheese, crumbled

TOPPING
2 fresh ripe tomatoes, or a bunch of cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 c pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives, sliced

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Preheat oven to 375º and oil or butter a 9 ” x 13″ baking pan.

Cook rice or farro if you haven’t already, you’ll need 3 cups total. Stir lemon juice and dill into the cooked grains and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until soft. Then add peppers, salt, pepper and herbs and cook until the peppers are tender. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a couple minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the feta. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

Beat the egg and mix it into the cottage cheese or ricotta in a large bowl. Add rice mixture and mix well.  Space dollops of the rice/cheese mixture on top of the pepper mixture in the baking pan, gently spread to cover evenly.  Top with tomato slices, sliced garlic and olives then spray or drizzle with olive oil.  Bake until bubbly, 35-40 minutes. If the top is not browned turn on the broiler for a couple minutes.

Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook page 138