And just like that, summer feels like it is almost over. Beach vacations are winding down, kids are heading back to school. (Watch for a bunch of back-to-school content, coming up next week!) Getting dinner on the table becomes a less of a leisurely affair and more dependent on thinking ahead.
My own fallback in such times is the pasta casserole. Yes, I wrote an entire book about casseroles, but that hasn't stopped me from making them again and again, pulling in any fresh ingredients at hand, and baking up something bubbly-delicious.
This vegetarian casserole comes from my garden — I had just a few ripe tomatoes, and lots of basil — and from my pantry. There's broccoli (from the freezer, or fresh, if you've got it) and a can of chickpeas for texture and protein. Mix it all up, throw in some dollops of fresh mozzarella and handfuls of Parmesan cheese, and you have yourself an easy dinner that everyone will love. Even better: You can make it ahead and reheat it in big slices for lunch.
Like most pasta casseroles, this one is very flexible. If you don't have basil, use sage. Don't have chickpeas? Just leave them out. Want to add a little sausage? No problem. Also, like most of the casseroles I like to make, this isn't a terribly gooey, cheesy, indulgent affair. It's pasta and legumes packed together with lots of vegetables, a little cheese, and hopefully lots of flavor too, from the onions, garlic, and herbs. Just don't expect a gooey holiday-style casserole.
Speaking of the onions and garlic, they aren't cooked before assembling the casserole. One less step of standing over the stove, cooking in the heat. There's hardly any pre-cooking involved here — just boiling the pasta, and steaming the broccoli (which can be done in the microwave).

serves 6
12 ounces farfalle pasta (also known as bowtie)
1 pound broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
3 large ripe tomatoes, divided
3/4 pound onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves, divided
1/2 pound fresh full-fat mozzarella, divided
3 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (4% milkfat or greater)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Add the farfalle and cook for 11 minutes or until barely al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
Steam the broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer basket on the stovetop, just until tender. Drain thoroughly and chop roughly into bite-sized florets. Toss with the cooked pasta. Chop two of the tomatoes into rough pieces, and add them to the pasta. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, along with the drained chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of the chopped basil. Tear about 2/3 of the fresh mozzarella into thumbnail-sized chunks and fold this into the pasta mixture.
Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir this liquid into the pasta mixture until well combined. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Spread the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Slice the remaining tomato into half-moons and arrange on top of the pasta. Tear the rest of the mozarella into bits and scatter between the rows of tomato slices. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top has melted and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over top. Let stand for a few more minutes before serving.
More Pasta Casseroles from The Kitchn
Pictured above, left to right:
• Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta Casserole
• Lighter Stuffed Pasta Shells
• Big-Hearted Macaroni & Cheese with Artichokes
More (not pictured above)
• Clearing the Pantry? Make a Free-Form Pasta Casserole
• Goat Cheese and Swiss Chard Pasta Casserole
• Cauliflower & Chicken Sausage Casserole
(Images: Faith Durand)



Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (23)
So odd - picture shows shells, not farfalle!
oops, never mind. realised they were pics for other casseroles. my bad.
Girl, do you ever polish your silver?
Looks really good. I'm always scared of casseroles and screwing them up but I think I just need to go for it.
a lot of my favorite casserole recipes call for all sorts of dish sizes. any thoughts on how to modify the recipe or what to do with the leftover that you can't fit in a pan that's too small?
I'd love to be able to fit a dozen shapes and sizes into my apartment kitchen, but space doesn't allow. in that vein, any suggestions as to which two sizes are the most used?
Thanks!
@cfellini, that's a good question! I'll answer it separately in a Good Question tomorrow!
This looks delicious! Any suggestions to subsitute for the broccolli if we want another vegetable? Thanks!
@jchase, zucchini might be lovely! It might get a little watery, though, so I would salt slices ahead of time and drain off any extra liquid.
Also, cooked greens like kale or chard are always wonderful in a casserole like this. If I had had spinach or mustard greens in the freezer, I would have used those instead. You would want to cook them down in a bit of olive oil, though, and so you would probably need more like two or three pounds.
thanks, Faith!
You always know that I am stuck with leftovers & what to do with them. Casseroles are a perfect way to empty the veggie bin, make something unique (to us that is) and healthy.
Wonderful!
Tonight I am making dinner for my boyfriend's brother for helping us move. I will definitely be giving this a go but with sausage (we are big carnivores!). I will update on how it turns out and tastes! Looks DELICIOUS!
I made this recipe last night with Italian sausage and it turned out great. I ended up cooking it aprx 10-15 minutes longer than the original bake time, seemed to help it thicken up all of the juices a bit more. First time using the oven at our new apartment, so that could have been part of it. I followed the recipie almost to a T with the exception of fresh Parmesan (it got lost in the move!) so I used shelf Parmesan which was just as tasty. All in all, it was a very satisfying, FRESH, meal! I brought leftovers to work for me and a co worker! I will probably make this again with many variations each time. Thank you for sharing!
I also made this last night and it was great. The only change I made was adding the broccoli to the pasta for the last 2 minutes of cooking time instead of steaming it (I'm lazy). I was a little scared that the chickpeas might taste weird, but they really added a nice texture and creaminess. The only thing I will do differently next time is saute the onions beforehand since I'm not a fan of crunchy onions. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Faith- the lighting in your photographs is always perfect. Plus I love the food styling- minimalistic and elegant. x shayma
i knew i would like this casserole as soon as i read the ingredients. i made it tonight-doubled the recipe so will have some to share with family and friends. my husband, who usually doesn't like chickpeas, thought they were delicious in this dish. he also noted that the flavor of the vegetables was outstanding. i encourage everyone to try this recipe.
Such a beautiful picture and dish. I wouldn't want to cut into it. That would be a great brunch recipe. And the silverware has rustic elegance. Mine looks just like it!
Faith, I made this tonight for my parents...it was divine, we were licking the dish. Only change was I sauteed the onion and garlic before baking. Thank you so very much, it's going in my recipe book.
Made this the other night for my husband and a guest who stopped by at the last minute. They LOVED it. Added a little chicken instead of but will try the original recipe next time. Def. going into rotation.
Question, is it okay to put all ingredients together the day before so all you have to do is throw in the oven then next evening?
thanks
Just made this tonight substituting rotini for farfalle and one can of diced tomatoes for one of the rough chopped tomatoes (I was missing a tomato, clearly) and adding in 4 chicken sausage links and some spinach. As everyone else has thus far noted, it was divine! Will definitely make it into my rotation.
this dish looks delish!! any ideas of what I could substitute for cottage cheese? how about some milk and more mozzarella/parmesan?
Ooh this looks really good! I have never made a casserole, and would like to try one tonight with only spinach, mushrooms,brocolli, maybe brussel sprouts, pasta, tomato sauce, and mozzerella does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you so much!
We tried this and it wasn't very tasty in spite of good ingredients (farmer's market late-season tomatoes, good cheeses). It seemed like it would be great, and it was beautiful, but was a big 'meh' for my family. I think adding sausage would boost the flavor, but I am searching for a tasty, not-too-cheesy vegetarian casserole and this was not it (in my hands). I strongly recommend sautéing the onions + garlic first. (They were cooked but the onion had an unpleasantly sharp flavor, hard to describe but undesirable.) Half was discarded, and we are not a food-discarding family.