I plan to try it dairy-free since that’s what my stomach and throat dictate. Any suggestions?
1
Oh, my jiggling love handles! I am so hungry now.
The cheddar is an odd choice, but I totally get the appeal of that salty, sharp topping. I think a mix of cheeses might be fun. Or maybe just an aged Fontina.
7
That picture of the baked pasta stopped me dead in my tracks. So delicious and so inviting, I know what I'm cooking tonight!
7
All recipes are merely suggestions as to what you can do. This is a great base to work from as you can add meat, other vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, change the seasonings around to suit a different mood.
I am looking forward to giving this a try as is, then the many variations.
6
I love cumin - ever since we went to Beijing in 1991 and enjoyed mongolian shaslicks - grilled lamb on sticks spiced with pepper and cumin - OMG delicious - especially from a street stall just outside the Temple of Heaven with some local Four Star beer
but my partner does not - so I sneak it onto grilled meats when I can - but if she's cooking (which is most of the time) it just doesn't happen ... (sniff !)
3
I don't know, describing an onion as spunky is kind of off-putting, especially a spunky onion that is also spicy, silky, jammy and sweet.
13
@M-G,dunno about that. I can think of some people who are spunky and also spicy, silky, jammy and sweet.
7
I just made it! Mostly because I happened to have the ingredients already in my pantry. I made it pretty much exactly according to the recipe except I put some breadcrumbs on the top cause I had some bread lying around that wasn't getting any fresher. I would say it's just 'okay'. I'm actually on my second helping so it's definitely not terrible, but I would opine that if it didn't have those crunchy breadcrumbs on top it would be pretty 'meh'.
9
Applause to Ms. Clark: baked pasta is one of the two kinds that can be eaten according to the good table manners of the Occident. The other, lightly fried long strands, each one held with a fork or forceps above the mouth, and bitten off piece by piece. My personal preference for the baked pasta dish would be to use either spaghetti or macaroni. The latter, thicker than spaghetti and tunneled along the axis, are anyhow not suitable for being rolled around the tines of a fork.
2
Thank you for showcasing a vegetarian dish that is robust, hot, hearty and perfect for a winter's night. Nothing says comfort like a good "cozy, gooey Cheddar-rich casserole."
Not too sure about the onions and spices although my husband practically drools when I merely mention the word onion. But I'll give it a whirl and see what happens. If it's too oniony for me, I'll figure out a sensible substitute.
Yeah vegetarian entrees!
15
@Marge Keller, if you want another killer baked pasta dish that is meatless but very substantial, here is something I make often. Prepare Marcella Hazan’s classic Bolognese sauce (ragu) using ground “mock meat” (I use Smart Ground) for the ground meats. Use half of that recipe to make her baked rigatoni dish. For that you will make a basic bechamel sauce and stir it into your Bolognese, stir in slightly undercooked rigatoni, top with freshly grated Parmesan and pats of butter, and bake. Heaven.
3
@ Passion for Peaches
I fail to understand why a vegetarian would want to imitate the flavor and taste of meat, as you suggest?
A day will come when foods will be synthesized from the chemical elements in the air, water, and minerals. Then all the ecclesiastical prohibitions on foods in Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, and Jainism will fall overboard.
1
@Passion for Peaches
Thanks for the suggestions. Your options sound wonderful! Have a wonderful New Year!