Cheesy Kale Pashtida

Amarante

Tue, May 11 2021, 1:48 pm

Not sure I would describe this as a kugel - maybe a ziti but with Middle Eastern flavors and no tomato sauce? Whatever, it was quite good and easy to put together.

It is a good main supplemented with some type of salad vegetable. A tossed salad was easy but it would go nicely with one of those tomato salads or even a ratatouille type of side. The addition of the kale is a nice place to hide veggies.

It could also work as a side if you wanted if you were making a plain type of fish dish.

Cheesy Kale Pashtida

Excerpt From: Danielle Oron - Modern Israeli Cooking

YAY! PIE FOR DINNER!
A pashtida is like a kugel—a noodle casserole—except that it’s almost always savory. This ain’t your bubbe’s sweet cinnamon kugel. I take this glorious opportunity to clear out the fridge of whatever is about to expire. You also don’t need to use these specific cheeses. It’s a use-what-ya-got typa thang.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

4 cups (250 g) short wide egg noodles
2 cups (130 g) chopped kale
5 large eggs
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
1 cup (113 g) shredded kashkaval or provolone cheese
1 cup (110 g) crumbled Bulgarian feta cheese
½ cup (125 g) smooth ricotta cheese
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the egg noodles and return to a boil. Just before the noodles are cooked through, add the chopped kale to the water. Cook for another minute and drain into a colander. Run cold water over the kale and noodles to stop the cooking.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together until homogenous. Add the kashkaval, feta and ricotta cheese and stir. Season the mixture with salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Stir in the noodles and kale.

Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, pour in the noodle mixture and spread it to the edges of the skillet. Immediately move the skillet into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Turn the oven onto broil for 3-4 minutes to crisp and brown the top of the pashtida.

Slide it off onto a cutting board or tray and cut it like a pie.