Veggie Delights: Baked Pasta Casserole

What Veggie Delights is all about: I’m convinced that I can share with you some really amazing meatless dishes that you will love, even if you’re not a Vegetarian!

This is a new recipe for me that I tried a couple of months ago for the first time.  I was pleasantly surprised!  It was very tasty, but also very light.  Many times, pasta casseroles are so heavy and creamy.  I like this one because it is refreshing, light, and healthy.  I love textural dishes, and this is definitely one of them.  There is just something delicious about a crunchy pasta.

I got this recipe from my favorite Vegetarian Cooking Blog – 101 Cookbooks.  I pretty much made it the same as the recipe, with a few slight changes.

Baked Pasta Casserole:

Ingredients:

• 12 oz whole wheat pasta (it calls for shells; I used penne)
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped (I used more than 2 cloves)
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped very well
• 1 – 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• zest of 2 lemons
• 8 oz mozzarella shredded cheese
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Oil a large casserole dish, roughly 13 x 9.
2. Boil pasta with a little salt.  When finished, toss with a bit of oil and set aside.
3. While pasta is boiling:
   Toast almonds in oven until slightly browned. (Don’t forget about them!)
   Heat some olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
   Saute chopped onions with a bit of salt, until turning soft.
   Stir in minced garlic.
   Stir in chopped spinach.
   Cook for a few seconds, until spinach collapses.
4. Remove mixture from heat.  Stir in 1 cup of the almonds and half of the lemon zest.
5. Add to pasta.  Mix well for at least a minute, until everything is thoroughly combined.  Feel free to add a bit more olive oil, if you think it’s too dry.
6. Sprinkle the rest of the lemon zest on the bottom of the casserole dish.
7. Add half of the pasta mixture.
8. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese.
9. Add the remaining pasta mixture.
10. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
11. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
12. Just before serving, sprinkle the remainder of the almonds on top.
13. Serve and enjoy!

What About You: Let me know what you think!  Does this sound like your kind of dish?