Welcome to the world of Zapekanka, a beloved comfort food from Eastern Europe! This versatile baked casserole can be sweet or savory, but today we're diving into a uniquely satisfying version: Pasta Zapekanka with Tvorog and Cabbage. It's a brilliant way to use simple ingredients to create a hearty, flavorful, and budget-friendly meal. Imagine tender pasta and soft stewed vegetables bound together with creamy tvorog and eggs, all baked to golden perfection. It's the ultimate comfort dish for a cozy family dinner.
Oven-baked pasta casserole with tvorog and cabbage
Ingredients for Pasta Casserole with Tvorog and Cabbage
- 200 g 9% fat tvorog
- 100 g spaghetti
- 250 g white cabbage
- 150 g carrots
- 80 g onion
- 2 chicken eggs
- 15 g preserved greens
- 20 g butter
- 15 g breadcrumbs
- 30 g cheese
- 5 g sweet paprika
- leek, chili pepper for serving
- salt, vegetable oil for frying
How to Make Pasta Casserole with Tvorog and Cabbage
First, stew the vegetables in a deep skillet or braising pan. Heat about 15 g of refined vegetable oil. Sauté a finely chopped onion.
Sautéing the onion
Add grated carrots to the sautéed onion.
Adding grated carrots
Next, add white cabbage, shredded into very thin strips. Add 3-4 g of fine table salt, cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. The cabbage should become soft, but you don’t need to cook it until it’s fully done.
Shredding and stewing white cabbage with the vegetables
Transfer the stewed cabbage to a bowl, add butter, stir, and let it cool slightly.
Mixing the stewed vegetables and butter in a bowl
Cook the spaghetti until al dente, drain in a colander, and once the water has drained, add it to the bowl with the stewed vegetables.
Adding cooked spaghetti to the vegetables
The vegetables and pasta don’t need to be completely cooled; the casserole mixture can be made with warm ingredients.
Adding sieved tvorog and chopped greens to the bowl
Next, add the sieved tvorog (a type of farmer’s cheese) and preserved greens, if you don’t have fresh ones. I always have a jar of garlic scapes preserved in oil for such occasions, but you can add any greens to your taste.
Cracking in the chicken eggs
Crack two raw eggs into the bowl. If the eggs are large, 2 are enough; if they are small, it’s better to add 3.
Adding paprika, salt, and mixing well
Season the mixture with sweet paprika and salt. Mix thoroughly, as there are many ingredients and they need to be evenly combined.
Placing the mixture for the pasta, tvorog, and cabbage casserole into a heated skillet
Grease a cast-iron skillet with a small piece of butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spread the mixture into the skillet.
Grating cheese on a fine grater
Finely grate a piece of hard cheese. Choose the type of cheese according to your taste and budget.
Distributing the grated cheese evenly over the mixture, sprinkling with paprika on top
Distribute the cheese over the surface of the casserole and sprinkle with paprika.
Baking the casserole in the oven for 25 minutes
Place in an oven preheated to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit). Bake for about 25 minutes, depending on the specific characteristics of your oven.
The pasta, tvorog, and cabbage casserole is ready. Enjoy your meal!
And there you have it—a warm, cheesy, and incredibly comforting Zapekanka, straight from the oven! This dish is wonderful on its own, but for a truly traditional experience, serve it with a dollop of sour cream or some fresh dill. Feel free to experiment by adding other vegetables or your favorite herbs. We hope this recipe brings a taste of Eastern European home cooking to your kitchen. Enjoy every delicious bite!
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