Mushroom Pasta Bake

This is one of those recipes that has been sitting in my recipe box for a good couple of months, just waiting to be brought out and tested. I'm not sure why it took so long to come out - there are no super tricky ingredients or method and it isn't too lengthy a dish for a mid-week meal. It was perhaps not the best to try on running night, which meant I didn't start cooking until after 8pm, but any other night and it would have fit right in with our schedule.  I also feel terrible as this is by no means my own creation. I know I found it somewhere, immediately though "aha! that looks good" and filed it away for future use, but without noting down my references. Back in school this would have meant that this source was a no-go, but I don't think anyone's gonna mark me down too harshly this time.

At first glance the pasta looked like a teeny amount in the boiling water and so we added a slurp more. There was no measuring just a hefty dollop that looked about right, but of course, ended up being far too much in the end.  I had only bought mushrooms, cottage cheese and feta enough for the standard recipe so the vegetable were a little fewer and farther in between than ideal and I think with the stated amount of pasta the flavour would be that much more present.  I really liked the addition of cottage cheese, which I don't really cook with, and the seeds, which used to be a staple in my cupboard but haven't been of late. I'll be looking for more ways to incorporate them into our meals, they're so full of goodness! Grating the feta was actually kinda crazy fun. I chose a hard feta from Paradise Farms here on Vancouver Island and it was kind of like grating a salt block, not that I've tried that. I had super salty hands afterwards and a certain little pup was sniffing his way around trying to get some of what was cooking.

We both enjoyed this meal, even Wil who was very hesitant about the 'green' before he tried it. He took some for lunch and even liked it lukewarm which was quite a surprise! I don't know if I loved it enough to make it again; I certainly think that for a mushroom pasta bake it should have been more mushroom-y but I can't get enough mushrooms so that isn't really surprising.

200g pack uncooked pasta (preferably wholemeal)
1/2 medium green cabbage sliced
1 cup spinach chopped
250g cottage cheese
3 cloves garlic peeled and finely sliced
1 medium onion finely diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dill fresh/dried
1/2 cup grated feta cheese
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Boil up pasta as per instructions until al dente.  

Cook up mushrooms and garlic in a pan or wok in a little oil.  When soft add cabbage, spinach, salt and caraway seeds and mix well.  When cooked through add cottage cheese and pasta, mix and put in shallow rectangular dish.  Cook for 10 minutes at 150 degrees.

Take out and stir and add sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and feta to top.  Cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with fresh salad