This is a dish that hearkens back to 1980s vegetarianism (lacto-ovo). It is basically Spinach au gratin, with the addition of cottage cheese and noodles. It is unlike most recipes I've found that call themselves Spinach Noodle Casserole because it lacks the white sauce (Béchamel sauce) used in most American casseroles to bind everything together. The recipes that are most similar end up be Ukrainian.

It is very simple, with nice contrasts between the flavors and a wonderful buttery crumb topping. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate gluten-free flat egg noodles. Macaroni or rotelle or shells work, but are not as good as the egg noodles were. I noticed one of the online gluten free stores had tagliatelle, so I ordered it and will try this next time with it.

8 oz box gluten free pasta
salt

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until barely tender.

1 large red Onion?, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil?
1/2 tsp salt

Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion until limp, 3 to 5 minutes.

1 1/2 lb fresh Spinach?, coarsely chopped
 OR
10 oz bag frozen Spinach, thawed and drained

Add spinach and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes until cooked down. Season with salt.

1 cup Cheddar Cheese?, shredded (use the variety of your choice)
1 cup Cottage Cheese?
1 tbsp Black Pepper?
1/4 tsp salt

Drain pasta and mix with salt, pepper, cottage cheese and grated cheese.

In a greased, shallow baking dish (I use a glass 13x9 pan), layer half the pasta mixture, half the spinach, the remaining pasta, and top with the remaining spinach.

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs? - the superfine Hol-Grain - Brown Rice Breadcrumbs work well here
2 tbsp Butter?, melted
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake 20 minutes until top is golden.

Source: p. 121 Nikki & David Goldbeck's American Wholefoods Cuisine (I have the original version from 1983 - when we cooked exclusively vegetarian, we used this cookbook constantly. The style will doubtless seem a bit old-fashioned compared with some of the vegan cookbooks around today.) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1886101116/acollectofdec-20 1886101116.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Other versions:

From http://www.jacquespepin.net/members/recipes/gratinofpastawithvegetable.html

Gratin means "crusted." (Figuratively, le gratin is the "upper crust" of society in colloquial French.) A dish that goes into the oven and comes out with a crusty top—for example, onion soup with the cheese baked on top—is called either a gratin or a gratinee. Usually a gratin is fairly thin and spread out so that more surface is exposed to the heat of the oven to form a crust.

From http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=2808

gratin; gratinée GRAH-tn (Fr. , gra-TAN , ), grah-tee-NAY? A gratin is any dish that is topped with cheese or bread crumbs mixed with bits of butter, then heated in the oven or under the broiler until brown and crispy. The terms au gratin or gratinée refer to any dish prepared in such a manner. Special round or oval gratin pans and dishes are ovenproof and shallow, which increases a dish's surface area, thereby insuring a larger crispy portion for each serving.

DRY HEAT VEGETABLE? (BAKING, ROASTING)

DarkGreensDay?

MethodCategory?: Oven

GenerationX?, Vegetarian

Fairly Done?

Made 1/8/08. Everyone liked.

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