L ifestyle /C ulture
Vegetarian Dinners: Skip the Meat, Keep the Flavor
INTERNET SENSATION PASTA
F OOD
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
THESE DAYS, there is a lot of
momentum around vegetarian
eating. Whether you are going
fully plant based/vegan or just
popping a “meatless Monday”
into the calendar every so
often, the options for vegeta-
ble-centric menus are growing
stronger every day.

I also find in the wake of
Passover, with its delicious array
of hearty dishes like matzah ball
soup, brisket, lamb, roast chicken
and matzah brei, a few vegetarian
meals are kind of what the doctor
ordered to level us back out.

These two dishes are short
on effort and long on flavor —
my favorite type of recipe!
Some of you may recall a
few months back when the
baked feta and tomato sauce
pasta recipe practically caused
a feta shortage when it blasted
around the world via TikTok.

At the time, I sneered at the
source, but couldn’t shake the
notion that the recipe sounded
pretty darned delicious, not to
mention low maintenance. I
decided to give it a whirl and
was very glad I did.

The second recipe was an
attempt to use surplus roasted
butternut squash left over from
a previous dinner. Its sweet-
ness delivered a wonderful
contrast with the spice of the
salsa, but really, any cooked
vegetable would work here —
greens, sweet potatoes, carrots,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts,
beans, zucchini, eggplant — or
a blend thereof.

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PHILADELPHIA, PA 19115
16 APRIL 15, 2021
Serves 4
Make this when you find cherry
or grape tomatoes on special at
the store, or slightly past their
prime in your kitchen.

2 pints cherry or
grape tomatoes
½ cup olive oil, divided
2 generous pinches
kosher salt
Sprinkle of red pepper
flakes, to taste
1 8-ounce block of feta,
patted dry
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound pasta — I used
spaghetti, but any
shape is fine
1 small handful basil leaves,
coarsely chopped
Heat your oven to 400
degrees F.

Place the tomatoes in a
baking dish with the salt,
pepper flakes and ⅓ cup olive
oil. Toss well. Place the feta in
the center of the tomatoes and
drizzle them with the remaining
oil. Bake for about 40 minutes,
until the tomatoes are starting
to char and burst, and the feta
is brown at the edges.

When the tomato mixture
is almost done, cook the pasta
in generously salted water for
1 minute less than the package
directs for al dente. While the
pasta cooks, remove the pan
from the oven, add the garlic
and stir. Reserve ½ cup of the
cooking water, and drain the
pasta thoroughly.

Pour the pasta into a baking
dish with the sauce and toss well.

Add the basil leaves, continue
tossing and, if needed to move
the sauce around and loosen
it, add small amounts of pasta
water until the desired texture
is achieved. Serve immediately.

MEXICAN LASAGNA WITH
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Serves 4
This can be made days ahead
JEWISH EXPONENT
Internet sensation pasta
Photos by Keri White
Mexican lasagna with butternut squash
and stored in the fridge or
frozen for several months.

You can use any type of
salsa you like — I opted for a
spicy salsa roja, which I mixed
with canned diced tomatoes
both to stretch the quantity
and to reduce some of the
heat. Green tomatillo salsa
would be wonderful with this.

Serve the casserole with sliced
avocados spritzed with lime
juice. 1 package corn tortillas
1½ cups salsa
2 cups grated cheddar or
Monterey jack cheese
3 cups cooked butternut
squash, mashed or cut
in small pieces
1 small bunch cilantro,
coarsely chopped,
for garnish
Heat your oven to 350
degrees F.

In a 2-quart casserole dish
or Pyrex, spoon a thin layer of
salsa on the bottom and spread
to coat. Place a single layer of
corn tortillas in the pan; tear
them to fit, as needed. Spoon
a layer of butternut squash, a
layer of salsa and a layer of
cheese, then another layer of
corn tortillas into the dish.

Press lightly.

Repeat this process until all
ingredients are used up. Finish
with a layer of corn torti-
llas sprinkled with salsa and
cheese. Bake the dish in the oven
for about 30 minutes until the
casserole is heated through and
the edges are starting to crisp.

Top with chopped cilantro and
serve. l
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