Broccoli Mushroom Noodle Casserole

I made this for a cookbook club dinner yesterday. It's from Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. There were two books to select recipes. 

 
6 Servings
 
Ingredients
 
2 stalks fresh broccoli, including stems, peeled and chopped
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 -2 T butter

Salt

Pepper

1/4 C dry white wine
3 Eggs
3 C ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, (or a combination)
1 C sour cream
3 C uncooked wide egg noodles

1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 – 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs or 1/4-1/2 cup wheat germ

 
Directions

 
Sauté chopped broccoli, mushrooms and onion in butter till tender. Salt and pepper lightly. Toss with wine.
 

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in ricotta/cottage cheese and sour cream.
 

Boil noodles in salted water till slightly underdone. Drain and butter.

 
Remove sautéed vegetables from pan to cheese mixture with a slotted spoon. Add noodles and either 1/4 cup bread crumbs or 2 T wheat germ. Mix everything.
 

 

Spread into buttered 9x13 baking pan.

 
Top with more breadcrumbs or wheat germ and grated cheddar.
 

Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350.

 
Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.
 

My Notes:

The recipe wasn't really clear on the amount of broccoli, so I chopped up two large broccoli heads and later held  a bunch back, as it was way too much. 

I used baby Bella mushrooms; and added a clove of chopped garlic and some Trader Joe's truffle powder seasoning to the vegetable mixture.

I used a combination of butter and olive oil for the vegetables. 

I used ricotta cheese. 

I used Italian breadcrumbs. 

I added more cheddar cheese to the topping, as one cup really didn't cover the entire dish.

Overall, this was very good. 

You can add cooked grilled chicken to the mixture for added protein. 

  

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

This is my version of a healthy and tasty dish. Instead of deep frying, I baked the eggplant before assembling the dish.

Serves: 4

1 large eggplant, sliced thin into rounds
Salt
1 large egg, beaten
Black pepper
1/2 cup of Italian Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil
1 cup Rao’s Tomato Sauce
Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus some for a garnish)
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (or a little more if needed)
 
Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with some salt, cover with paper towels and set aside for 30 minutes to drain the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Rub some olive oil onto a baking sheet.

Place the breadcrumbs onto a large plate; and the beaten egg in a bowl.

Dip each eggplant slice in the egg and then into the breadcrumb, turn to coat both sides. Place onto the oiled baking sheet. More breadcrumbs may be needed.

Bake the eggplants for about 18 to 20 (half way through, turn the slices over) until they are browned. Remove from oven, and let cool for 10 minutes.
 
Reduce the oven to 325°F.

In a 9 x 12 glass baking dish, spread some tomato sauce on the bottom and add a layer of the eggplant. Top with the grated parmesan cheese, basil and mozzarella. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper to taste. Repeat this layer until all eggplant has been used. The final top should be a layer of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. This should yield two layers of eggplant. If you want three layers, use a 8 x 8 pan.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. 

Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. Top with the fresh basil.

Serve with your favorite pasta. 

 

22 June 2022:

I'm still enjoying this recipe. I made it last night and layered it (3 layers).  I diced the cheese.