Tomato and Feta Dip

With the Big Game (the football playoffs) being tomorrow I have one last minute snack to share with you, a fresh dip that I have been seeing on pinterest for a while now, a Greek themed tomato and feta dip that looked so good that I had to try it. This dip is so quick and easy to make, you pretty much just need to dice some tomatoes, crumble some feta, slice some green onions and dig in and start dipping! You could dip with fresh bread but I decided to go with some toasted pita wedges where I sprayed/brushed them with a bit of oil, sprinkled on some salt and pepper and toasted them in the oven. This form of the dip is great as it is but there is plenty of room to play around with and I could easily see adding things like kalamata olives or sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, etc. but no matter how you serve it, this dip will disappear quickly so make a lot of it!

Enjoy the Big Game and more importantly all of the tasty game day food!

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Spinach and Feta Mashed Cauliflower

I know I seem to say this a lot but I can't believe that it is fall already and what's more is that this weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving already! With that in mind I just had to share some Thanksgiving recipe ideas and since creative side dishes are what I enjoy most about a Thanksgiving feast I started with this spinach and feta mashed cauliflower. Mashed cauliflower is a healthy and light alternative to mashed potatoes and when you jazz them up with things like spinach and feta they become an absolute delight that could easily outshine the main on your dinner plate. The flavours in this mashed cauliflower are based on spanakopita a Greek spinach and feta phyllo pie with fresh herbs like dill and green onions. Normally mashed potatoes are made nice and creamy with the addition of heavy/whipping cream and/or sour cream, cream cheese and loads of butter but I went with creamy Greek style yogurt and a touch of butter to keep things lighter. Whether you are serving this spinach and feta mashed cauliflower at a Thanksgiving dinner or just any old weeknight dinner, they are super quick and easy and just packed with flavour!

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Spinach and Feta Chicken Burgers (aka Spanakopita Burgers) with Grilled Halloumi, Roasted Red Peppers and a Spinach and Feta Sauce

Spanakopita is a tasty Greek phyllo spinach and feta pie and I was thinking that the flavours would also be amazing in burger form; just perfect for summer grilling! I kept the patties nice and simple and yet packed them with flavour starting out using chicken for the base, though turkey would also be good, and I mixed in plenty of spinach and feta, along with some dill and green onions. Now these spinach and feta patties are super tasty just like this and I could easily eat them alone, or in burgers with lettuce, tomato and red onion as I had planned but I could not resist kicking things up a bit.

First off, I feel that every good burger should have bacon but it did not really fit the theme of these burgers so I went for the next best thing, grilled halloumi, which is almost as good as bacon and also an ingredient commonly seen in Mediterranean cuisine. Up next was a no brainer, roasted red peppers; and with that I thought that I was done but something kept nagging me... where was the cheese sauce? <spookyvoice>This burger needs a cheese sauce...</spookyvoice> Alright so I added a cheese sauce, a spanakoptia themed cheese sauce, starting with a bechamel base adding plenty of melted feta along with spinach and dill. With that final component my spanakoptia themed burgers, aka my spinach and feta chicken burgers with grilled halloumi, roasted red peppers and a spinach and feta sauce, were complete!

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Greek Style Salad

With spring here I have been thinking about salads more often and one of my favourites is a Greek style salad! A Greek salad is nice and simple containing tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta, onions, and a vibrant dressing. I really like the way the juiciness of the tomatoes and cucumers balance the saltiness of the olives and feta and the red onions provide a sweet and spicy counterpoint. The dressing for this salad is also pretty easy containing olive oil, lemon juice and oregano and the lemony vinaigrette really brightens the salad up.

Note: Traditionally Greek salads do not contain lettuce but it is always nice to add.

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

The Greek style salad, a salad with juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, tangy red onions, and salty kalamata olives and feta in a lemon and oregano vinaigrette, has to be one of my favourites and it is so easy to turn it into a light and yet satisfying meal with the addition of quinoa (or a whole grain) along with some chickpeas! I always enjoy using quinoa in salads like this since it is such a nice source of protein, especially when combined with a bean, and it really makes for a salad that eats like a meal. I particularly enjoy this quinoa and chickpea salad because of all of the wonderful Mediterranean flavours where the juicy tomatoes and cucumbers play brilliantly with the salty olives and feta. Another wonderful thing about this salad is how versatile it is, I always have fun changing up the ingredients and some more that work well are roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and even cool and creamy avocados!

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Kanafeh/Künefe (Sweet Cheese Pastry)

A few months ago I got an email inviting me to explore Israel, it's people and it's cuisine on a project called Taste of Israel put on by a group called Stand With Us. At first I was a little leery about the offer but after a bit of research it seemed legit and it was an opportunity that I simply could not pass up and so I went! It turned out to be an absolutely amazing experience filled with lots of great people and of course plenty of amazing food! I enjoyed a lot of dishes in Israel and I just had to try making a few of them at home and sharing them with you!

The adventure started as soon as we got off the plane, after almost 20 hours travel time from Toronto, as we were whisked away to the beautiful Dan Hotel Tev Aviv where after checking in we headed out for dinner at Yaffo Tel Aviv restaurant by Haim Cohen. The meal that we had there was filled with plenty of tasty dishes including a flat bread that was covered in melted garlicky butter and roasted cherry tomatoes but the one dish that really stood out for me was a dessert, the kanafeh.

I had never heard of kanafeh before but as soon as I heard that it was warm cheese in between two layers of light flaky pastry, I was sold! I mean you really cannot go wrong with cheese and I loved the idea of using it in a dessert! This particular künefe was made with goat cheese and it was topped with a sweet apple sauce and the combination of sweet and savoury was phenomenal; I knew immediately that I would have to make kanafeh when I got home!

Kanafeh (aka Kunafeh, aka Künefe, aka...) is a pastry that is common to countries in the Levant region including Turkey, Israel, Greece, etc. and and there are as many different ways of spelling it as there are of making it. It's commonly made with the shredded phyllo like pastry, with the same name as the final dish, and it is usually filled with a neutral, non-salty, stringy cheese and it is baked until the pastry gets nice and golden brown and crispy and it is then smothered in a simple syrup. (Imagine something like a single layered baklava with a cheese filling instead of nuts.)

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Moussaka Patty Melts

With the cooling weather I have been thinking about cold weather dishes more often like moussaka, a Mediterranean casserole consisting of layers of meat in a tomato sauce, eggplant and a bechamel sauce. During the summer I made some burgers inspired by moussaka and given my fascination with grilled cheese sandwiches I could not help but think that a moussaka patty melt would also be great! For this sandwich I start out with patties of ground lamb seasoned simply with a bit of garlic and cinnamon, topped with a layer of grilled eggplant, a simple and yet tasty tomato sauce and of course plenty of melted cheese! Speaking of cheese, I went with a Greek cheese, graviera, which melts well so it is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. When I made the moussaka burgers I used a bechamel sauce which is a bit to wet to go inside a grilled cheese sandwich but it does go great as a topping along with some extra tomato sauce!

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Shrimp Linguine in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Shrimp Saganaki Linguine)

October is National Pasta Month and that means that it is time for some pasta! Pasta Fits into a healthy diet, a busy lifestyle, and a tight budget; it is super versatile and always fun to work with! This shrimp linguine is inspired by one of my favourite Greek dishes, shrimp saganaki, where shrimp is cooked in tasty tomato and feta sauce and it works really well as a pasta dish! If you are looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal this recipe fits the bill literally only taking as long to make as it takes to boil the water and to cook the pasta. When in season, fresh tomatoes, dill and parsley really make this dish sing but otherwise pantry staples, canned diced tomatoes and dried herbs, also work well so you can enjoy this tasty pasta all year round. No matter how you cut it, this shrimp linguine in tomato and feta sauce, aka shrimp saganaki linguine, is a great way to celebrate National Pasta Month and it is sure to make a regular appearance in your meal rotation!

Do you have a favourite pasta recipe? Share it with the National Pasta Association for the chance to win their Pasta Presto Recipe Contest with a $1500 prize!

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Moussaka Burgers

With the long weekend coming up I have been thinking about grilling and in particular about these moussaka burgers. Moussaka is a tasty Mediterranean dish that is typically made with layers of eggplant, meat, a tomato sauce and a cheese bechamel sauce and I have been wanting to try making burgers with these flavours for a while now. I started the burgers off by making a tomato sauce with the hints of cinnamon and allspice that moussaka often has and then I moved on to make a simple bechamel sauce with plenty of melted melted cheese. Up next were the patties which I kept nice and simple, once again seasoning with hints of cinnamon and allspice, and the last component was slices of eggplant that I grilled along with the patties.

All said and done these burgers are amazingly good and they definitely taste like moussaka, only better! These burgers take a bit of time to make but you can easily make the sauces and patties a day ahead and then just warm the sauces and grill the patties and eggplant of the day of your get together with minimal effort. I served the moussaka burgers with a fresh Greek salad.

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Chicken Gyro Grilled Cheese (aka The Gyro Melt)

Up next for National Grilled Cheese month is a chicken gyro grilled cheese with all of the flavours of a chicken gyro! This is one really impressive grilled cheese containing chicken souvlaki, a Greek style grilled meat on a stick, tomato, onion, tzatziki, feta, and plenty of melted cheese, preferably a Greek melt-y cheese like kasseri. Normally gryos are made with meat that is roasted on a vertical spit but chicken souvlaki is easier to make at home and just as tasty; I mean your really cannot go wrong with grilled meat on a stick! When I had the opportunity to visit Greece a few years ago I had a few gyros and my favourite by far was a chicken one where there were roasted red peppers layered in between the chicken on the spit and since then I have always added roasted red peppers to my gyros and my gyro grilled cheese just had to have them! I have to say that this is one really tasty addition to my grilled cheese lineup and definitely worth the effort to make!

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Chicken Souvlaki Salad

Continuing with the themes of both salads and grilling is this chicken souvlaki salad that was inspired by Gina's recent Mediterranean chicken kebab salad. I am a big fan of all kinds of skewered and grilled meats from around the world but Greek souvlaki has to be one of my favourites! There is just something irresistible about char grilled meat on a stick and I knew that you could not go wrong turning it into a nice light summer meal by placing some in a salad. The first thing that I did was dust off my trusty chicken souvlaki recipe which calls for marinating the chicken in a garlic, lemon, yogurt and oregano
mixture before grilling it to impart it with a ton of flavour. The salad is a simple one consisting of a base of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onions along with some Mediterranean flavours including kalamata olives, crumbled feta and a tzatziki dressing.

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Gyro Grilled Cheese Sandwich (aka Gyro Melt)

April is national grilled cheese month and grilled cheese sandwiches have been on my mind a lot so it is no surprise that when I was thinking about what to do with the roast lamb leftovers, a grilled cheese sandwich came to mind. Before I knew it I was thinking about a lamb gyro grilled cheese sandwich filled with all of my favourite gyro fillings including tzatziki, feta, toamtoes and onions. With all of the ingredients pretty much decided the only real question was what cheese was I going to use and a Greek melty cheese like kasseri was definitely the way to go. I was a little concerned that with the tzatziki in the sandwich it might come out a little soggy so I used a nice thick Greek style yogurt, squeezed the excess liquid from the cucumber and used day old bread for the grilled cheese to make sure that everything turned out right and it did. These gyro grilled cheese sandwiches turned out pretty big with all of the fillings but they were oh so good! You can just imagine combining two already great things, gyros and grilled cheese sandwiches and you get something even better!

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Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)

When I made the roast lamb leg on the weekend I chose a piece of meat that was larger than I needed to ensure lots of leftovers and after making some quicky roast lamb gyros I was ready to to something more interesting. Up first on my list was this recipe for a lamb exohiko, once again from Kalofagas, which is a dish where the lamb along with other ingredients are wrapped up in phyllo and baked until it is golden brown. I really like the idea of baking things in phyllo like this! Whereas smaller phyllo pies are great for snacks and light meals and larger phyllo pies like spanakopita make many servings, these phyllo parcels contain an entire meal in single serving size! The possibilities for fillings for these are near endless and this time I went with the roast lamb, spinach, onions and peppers, tomatoes and cheese!

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Greek Style Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Easter is right around the corner and this last weekend I took the opportunity to test out a new recipe. When I think of Easter dinner I almost always gravitate towards lamb which reminds me of spring and I have had this recipe for a Greek style roast leg of lamb from Kalofagas bookmarked for a while now, just waiting for a special occasion. One of the things that I really like about Greek cuisine is the heavy use of fresh herbs and this roast lamb is marinated in a mixture of rosemary, thyme and oregano in addition to lemon juice, mustard, paprika and of course a generous amount of salt and pepper. After marinating the lamb is roasted until it is moist and falling apart tender and then potato wedges are tossed in the drippings along with more lemon juice and some oregano before being roasted until nice and crispy! What a meal!

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Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Mashed Potatoes

When I was thinking of side dishes for the big meal I couldn't help but think of mashed potatoes which are nice and easy and always a hit. One of the things that I like about mashed potatoes is that there are just so many different things that you can do with them and I am always experimenting with them. I have been wanting to try using roasted red peppers and now was the perfect time to try them out along with some feta and oregano. The sweet roasted red pepper and salty feta flavour combo is a particularly nice one that I enjoy using in many dishes and it works out really well in these mashed potatoes that are made nice and creamy with some thick Greek yogurt. Another great thing about mashed potatoes is that they can be done on the stove top and on a day when you are roasting your meat it is good to be able to keep your oven free of one more dish.

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Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce (Fasolakia)

The farmers market is literally bursting with fresh local produce these days and there are so many different things that it's sometimes hard to choose what to get. When I saw some fresh green beans and perfectly field ripened beefsteak tomatoes close together it reminded of a dish for Greek style green beans in a tomato sauce that I had been wanting to try. This dish is called fasolakia and it is pretty simple with the green beans being braised in the tomato sauce until they are soft at which point they become nice and sweet. The recipe that I used here is really just the base and from here you can add what you like. Diced potatoes are a common extra but you could also add some cubed meat and zucchini would be perfect right about now with it also being in season. Of course I could not resist serving the green beans in tomato sauce with a healthy helping of feta and some crusty bread on the side works well to sop up any of the tasty tomato sauce that gets left behind in the bowl.

Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce with Feta (Fasolakia)

Green beans braised in a tasty tomato sauce with lots of fresh herbs that goes well when served with feta and some crusty bread.

Servings: makes 2-4 servings



Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes



Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• 1 handful dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, green beans, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are soft, about 40 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, mix in the dill and parsley and serve garnished with feta.

Similar Recipes:

Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans)

Garides Tourkolimano (Greek Shrimp)

Cod Baked in a Tomato and Feta Sauce

Cod Baked in a Tomato and Feta Sauce

I have been trying to get more fish into my meal plans and with spring here it ties in nicely with trying to eat lighter and healthier meals. First up was the jerk fish on coconut rice topped with banana and pineapple salsa and next was this dish where a white fish is baked in a tasty tomato and feta sauce. I have been thinking about this dish for a while and though I originally wanted to wait until late summers juicy field ripened tomatoes, I have been wanting to have the oven on less and less as the days get warmer so I figured it was time and besides, I had just been itching to make it.

The flavours in this dish are definitely inspired by some of my favourite Greek flavours including the tomatoes, feta, oregano and a healthy does of fresh herbs, especially the dill. I even spiked the tomato sauce with a hit of ouzo, a Greek star anise flavoured liqueur, which adds a hint of something exotic to the dish. The tomato sauce is started in a pan and cooked until it starts to thicken and then it is poured over the fish before baking. This helps to ensure that the fish comes out nice and moist and tender every time. I served the fish with steamed asparagus and some crusty bread to soak up any leftover sauce.

Cod Baked in a Tomato and Feta Sauce

Cod baked in a tasty tomato and feta sauce full of fresh herbs and a splash of ouzo to keep things interesting.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• chili pepper flakes to taste
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes or 4 cups of fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 splash ouzo or other star anise liqueur (optional)
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 (6 ounce) cod fillets
• crusty bread

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, oregano and ouzo and simmer until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 15 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, mix in the herbs, feta and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Place the cod fillets in a baking dish and pour the tomato sauce over them.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the fish is cooked, about 10-12 minutes. The cod will be cooked when it flakes easily and it is no longer translucent.

Similar Recipes:
Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)
Tomato and Feta Baked Shrimp Pasta
Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs
Ntomatokeftedes (Greek Tomato and Feta Fritters)
Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce with Feta (Fasolakia)
Shrimp Linguine in a Tomato and Feta Sauce

Asparagus and Feta Fritters

Fritters are definitely one of my favourite foods! There is just something irresistible about a savoury vegetable cake that is fried until golden brown and crispy! One of the things that I like so much about them is that you can make them with all sorts of different vegetables and and over the last few years I have been experimenting with different vegetables. One vegetable that I had never even considered using to make a fritter with, one of my favourite vegetables, was asparagus and when I came across the idea of asparagus fritters on Kalofagas recently I knew that I would have to try making some. What's more is that these asparagus fritters use some of my favourite Greek flavours including lots of fresh herbs and feta, a flavour combination that I have used in spinach fritters and zucchini fritters in the past.



These fritters are pretty easy to make, you simple grate or food process the asparagus, mix up the batter and fry in oil until crispy. Given how simple they are to make I often like to server fritters for a lazy brunch on the weekend though they also go well as appetizers. This time I made the meal a bit heartier by topping the fritters with a poached egg and some avgolemono sauce where avgolemono sauce is a lemony sauce that makes for a nice lighter alternative to a hollondaise sauce.

Asparagus and Feta Fritters

Fresh Spring asparagus fritters with feta and dill.

Servings: makes 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 handful dill, chopped
• 1 handful parsley, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup flour (I like to use whole wheat)
• 2 tablespoons oil

Directions

1. Grate or process the asparagus in a food processor.
2. Mix the asparagus, herbs, green onions, feta, flour, egg, salt and pepper and enough flour that the mixture will hold together.
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Spoon the asparagus mixture into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

Serve with:
Asparagus with a Poached Egg in a Dill and Caper Avgolemono Sauce
Asparagus with a Poached Egg in Hollandaise Sauce

Similar Recipes:
Spinach and Feta Fritters
Greek Style Zucchini Fritters
Asparagus with a Poached Egg in a Dill and Caper Avgolemono Sauce
Parmigiano Reggiano Savoury French Toast
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto, Goat Cheese and a Poached Egg
Asparagus Quinoa Cake
Apple, Cheddar and Bacon Fritters in Caramel Sauce

Spinach and Feta Clafoutis

With Easter coming up I was looking for a new recipe for a special breakfast or brunch on the long weekend. While I was going through my bookmarks I came across this recipe for a spinach and feta clafoutis that I had saved a while ago on More Than Burnt Toast and my search for a tasty breakfast was over. A clafouti is a French dish where an egg batter, generally filled with something, is baked and up until I had come across this recipe I had never even considered the possibility of a savoury clafouti. I immediately knew that I would have to try a savoury clafouti and this one was perfect as it was filled with some of my favourite Greek flavours with the spinach and the feta. In fact the flavours reminded me of spanakopita, a Greek spinach pie which I have had no end of fun spinning into different dishes over the years.

This clafoutis is pretty easy to make which makes it perfect for brunches or light weeknight meals. You pretty much just need to saute some onions, wilt the spinach, pour over the egg batter and cheese and bake until golden brown. Despite the minimal effort require to make it, this clafoutis is one tasty dish! The spinach and feta combination along with fresh dill definitely works well in a savoury clafoutis! I now have my breakfast planned for the weekend and I already have other ideas for savoury clafoutis dancing in my head.

Spinach and Feta Clafoutis

A savoury take on a clafoutis with all of your favourite flavours from spanakopita the Greek spinach pie.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 2 green onions (sliced)
• 5 ounces baby spinach (roughly chopped)
• 1 tablespoon dill (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup feta (crumbled)
• 1 cup kasseri or mozzarella (grated)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the green onion and spinach and saute until the spinach wilts.
4. Remove from heat and mix in the dill and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the spinach mixture into a shallow 6 cup baking dish.
6. Mix the milk, eggs, and flour in a food processor and pour it on top of the spinach.
7. Sprinkle the feta and mozzarella on top.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until puffed and golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Spinach and Feta Omelette
Cherry Clafoutis
Blueberry Clafoutis
Spinach and Feta Quesadillas
Spinach and Feta Mashed Cauliflower

Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper and Kalamata Olive Mac n Cheese

After far to much boxed mac n cheese in university I took a break from it until recently when I made a crab mac and cheese that I really enjoyed. I realized that there is a lot more that you can do than just your basic every day macaroni and cheese and ideas for different flavour combos have been swirling through my head ever since. One of those ideas sprang from the desire to use some of the roasted red peppers that were taking up so much space in my freezer.

Sweet roasted red peppers and tangy goat cheese are an amazing flavour combination and I was thinking that the goat cheese would work beautifully in a mac and cheese. From there I was thinking Greek flavours and some salty kalamata olives and feta cheese seemed like the natural next step. At this point I figured I was done but at the last minute I decided to bulk the mac and cheese up a bit with some artichoke hearts. I was thinking that the best way to get the goat cheese into the mac and cheese would be to melt it into a bechamel sauce which I seasoned with garlic and oregano. I also wanted to have a nice melted cheese topping so I added a handful of mozzarella cheese which is fairly mild and it melts well.

The goat cheese, roasted red pepper, kalamata olive and artichoke heart mac and cheese turned out really well! The flavour combination was simply fantastic and I quickly inhaled my bowl and was going for seconds in no time at all. I am definitely looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunch this week!

Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper and Kalamata Olive Mac n Cheese

Tangy goat cheese, sweet roasted red peppers, salty kalamata olives and artichoke hearts make this mac and cheese one to remember.

Servings: makes 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta, your choice
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 3 large roasted red peppers, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated

Directions

1. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it is bubbling and it has turned a light golden brown.
3. Mix in the flour and garlic and let simmer until it returns to a light golden brown.
4. Mix in the milk, pepper, oregano and goat cheese and heat until the goat cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened.
5. Mix the pasta, sauce, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and feta and pour the mixture into a baking dish.
6. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
7. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown on the top and bubbling on the sides, about 30-40 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Chicken, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Lasagna
Crab Mac and Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Frittata topped with Marinara and Mozzarella
Grilled Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sandwich
Marinated Roasted Red Pepper Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo Pasta
Beer Mac n Cheese Soup
Pepperoni Pizza Casserole
Creamy Pesto Caprese Pasta Casserole
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese
Chicken Cordon Bleu Quinoa Casserole