Infinite Feta Baked Pasta

This all started because I had too much feta. I know, right? Difficult to believe. The thing is, this one package of feta seemed endless. I used it in salad, with potatoes on no fewer than four occasions, I even snacked on bits of it from time to time. The feta continued. I was starting to think that I was at the beginning of a bad horror film: “The Feta that Ate Tangier!”

Enough was enough. I came home from work on Monday with one objective: finish that feta! And that’s exactly what I did. ((Bonus: I used up a bunch of lonely vegetables from my fridge. This recipe is a great catch-all for any vegetables you’ve got lying around. Old olives? Mix ’em into the sauce. Elderly eggplant? Go for it! Aging asparagus? Toss it in.))

Infinite Feta Baked Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced ((Or however you prefer to cut peppers.))
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil ((If you happen to have fresh basil, mix 1/2 cup or more in with the pasta and vegetables right before baking.))
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup finely grated parmesan
• 2/3 cup feta, coarsely crumbled
• 1.5-2 cups uncooked pasta ((I used tri-color rotini. This recipe would be delicious–and extra healthy–with any kind of whole wheat or spinach pasta.))
• 1 small jar pasta sauce ((Or 1.5-2 cups homemade pasta sauce. See my recipe here))
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• OPTIONAL BUT DELICIOUS: green beans, zucchini, broccoli ((Sautée the green beans and broccoli at at the same time as the carrots.))

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Boil a pot of water for the pasta. If you’re a good multitasker, just carry on making the pasta while you complete the next few steps. IMPORTANT: The pasta should be al dente, or even slightly undercooked, since it is going to be baked in the oven later. ((Nobody likes mushy pasta!)) Drain, cover, and set aside.

In a large pan or skillet, sautée two-thirds of the onions in olive oil with a liberal sprinkling of black pepper, over medium heat, for one minute. Add carrots and one-half of your dried herbs ((Plus green beans, broccoli, and any other slow-cooking vegetable you’re using.)) and continue to sautée for 3-4 minutes or until just tender.

Add green peppers, red peppers, garlic, and the remaining one-third of your onions. ((Plus zucchini and any other fast-cooking vegetable you’ve decided to add.)) Add the remaining half of the basil and oregano. Sautée for 2-3 minutes, or until peppers are tender but still slightly crunchy.

Pour the cooked pasta into a large, deep casserole dish. Stir in your sauce, then add all the cooked vegetables and mix well. Sprinkle parmesan over the top, then sprinkle the feta on top of that.

Pop your beautiful pasta & veggie casserole into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to turn golden brown. Garnish with extra fresh basil leaves or parsley, if you’re feeling fancy. You can decide how many people this should feed. Keep in mind that once you start eating this, it will be difficult to stop! ((Even though this was absolutely enormous, it only took me three meals to finish it all up. Yum yum!))