What do you think when you hear the word casserole? To me, 1950’s housewives come to mind, as does tuna, cheese and noodles. They may evoke lovely childhood memories for you, but I think that generally they don’t have a great reputation, at least among “foodie” types. However, I ran across this interesting vegetarian casserole recipe on The Kitchn. It comes from a book aptly named Not Your Mother’s Casseroles, which is filled with contemporary versions of casseroles ranging from breakfast to dinner.
As a former vegetarian who doesn’t like handling raw meat, I generally cook vegetarian dinners. I leave the meat to Russ, who rarely plans a meal without it. As a meat-lover, he’s usually a good gauge for judging a vegetarian recipe, and he loved this casserole. It’s filled with hearty chickpeas interspersed with lots of creaminess from a mixture of cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs. Lots of lemon juice and zest (I thought a bit too much; Russ thought just right) gives nice bright notes to the dish, as does fresh parsley and rosemary. The whole thing is topped with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan for a crunchy crust.
Here’s a very close-up view of the filling. It’s not the prettiest thing (like meat, casseroles are not photogenic!) but I highly recommend this recipe. I think it was actually the first casserole I’ve ever made and I’m really curious about the other recipes in the book now.
Do you have a favorite casserole reicpe? I’d love to try it!
kimberly (unrivaledkitch)
February 25, 2011 at 1:47 pm (14 years ago)yum that looks so good. I love casseroles. They do make me think of home and comfort all the time. my mom used to make this amazing tuna casserole with the awesome potato chips on top. i think its just nostalgia maybe it wasn’t that tasty but damn i loved that stuff. My dad made this rice casserole too that we would eat by the truck load. yum 🙂
Belinda @zomppa
February 25, 2011 at 2:14 pm (14 years ago)Love chickpeas and casseroles but never thought to put the two together. Great way to have less meat!
Mama Kelly aka Jia
February 25, 2011 at 6:09 pm (14 years ago)i love casseroles and vegetarian ones are usually so much more frugal. This one looks pretty tasty too.
Mama Kelly aka Jia recently posted Vegetarian Taco Filling
Medeja
February 26, 2011 at 3:51 am (14 years ago)It looks delicious to me.. 🙂
Medeja recently posted Cacao Semolina Porridge- Kakavinė manų košė
In Katrina's Kitchen
February 27, 2011 at 8:08 am (14 years ago)I love chick peas and this looks like a very interesting dish! Mmm
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope you do end up trying the Samoas!! ♥ – Katrina
In Katrina’s Kitchen recently posted Homemade Girl Scout Cookies- Samoas!
Kita
February 27, 2011 at 7:37 pm (14 years ago)I know they aren’t posh in foodie social circles, but I love a great casserole from time to time. I think they are just warm and yummy. Everything we need in a good meal. I love chickpeas – so this idea really has my attention. It looks super neat.