Black Bean and Noodle Casserole with Feta

Why I Love This Recipe
One of the great finds from our trip out to the Printer’s Row Book Fair was a copy of The Vegetarian Gourmet’s Easy Low-Fat Favorites. I’m a vegetarian! I like easy! I like low-fat! For 10 bucks you just can’t beat nearly 500 pages of relatively easy recipes that promise you lower-fat alternatives to what’s out on the market.
My favorite dish so far, is the one I’m about to share with you. It combines two of my favorite flavors, black beans and feta cheese. What makes this dish so interesting is the combination of the feta cheese with salsa. When the two flavors are blended together in the yogurt, it just hits your tastebuds and says “What’s UP!?” For the noodles, I prefer the Barilla PLUS! noodles, because they’re not as quite as heavy as wheat noodles, and provide a little more nutrition than regular egg-free noodles.
Ingredients You'll Need
3 egg whites
3/4 cup skim milk
1 8-oz container plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, rinsed and drained (3 oz.)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp parsley flakes
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 oz medium (yolk-free) noodles, uncooked (4 cups)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups of cooked beans)
1 16-oz jar salsa (medium or hot)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a 7×11-inch baking pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine egg whites, milk, yogurt, feta cheese, and flour. Beat with a fork until blended. Add spices, mixing well.
4. Place half of the noodles in the prepared pan, Top with half of the beans, followed by half of the salsa. Spoon half of the cheese mixture evenly over the top.
5. Repeat layers, using remaining noodles, beans, and salsa. Spoon remaining cheese mixture over the top, covering all of the noodles. Press noodles down lightly into the sauce.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes.
7. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
---
One of the great finds from our trip out to the Printer’s Row Book Fair was a copy of The Vegetarian Gourmet’s Easy Low-Fat Favorites. I’m a vegetarian! I like easy! I like low-fat! For 10 bucks you just can’t beat nearly 500 pages of relatively easy recipes that promise you lower-fat alternatives to what’s out on the market.
My favorite dish so far, is the one I’m about to share with you. It combines two of my favorite flavors, black beans and feta cheese. What makes this dish so interesting is the combination of the feta cheese with salsa. When the two flavors are blended together in the yogurt, it just hits your tastebuds and says “What’s UP!?” For the noodles, I prefer the Barilla PLUS! noodles, because they’re not as quite as heavy as wheat noodles, and provide a little more nutrition than regular egg-free noodles.