Passover is less than a week away and Easter is in a couple of weeks. No matter what your persuasion, this casserole recipe is an easy dish to make that will not only impress and satisfy your guests, it will save you time.
Time better spent sipping on Bloody Mary’s or taking turns sharing stories about that one time Grandma Ida ate a glob of wasabi, thinking it was guacamole.
Oh, Grandma Ida.
I will never forget the look of panic on her face as that wasabi hit her tongue. She was a good sport about it – laughed it off like the champ she is. Grandma Ida is my mother’s mother. Up until a few years ago, she was my next-door neighbor!
In middle school, I had difficulty reading. I could never do well on quizzes about the assignment from the night before. For some reason, I would read over the paragraphs but not remember or process what was happening.
It was extremely discouraging and frustrating. When my grandmother found out that I was having trouble, she became my reading buddy. Every day, I’d walk over to her house and sit down on the couch with her, reading books like A Tale of Two Cities.
Whatever she did, it worked. I started to comprehend what I was reading and I became a straight A student.
Reading’s important. Reading makes you a better conversationalist, writer and advice-giver. Whether you’re reading Cosmopolitan or Moby Dick, you’re learning something and becoming smarter.
My grandmother has nothing to do with this recipe, but I happened to be thinking about her today and haven’t mentioned her much (my Italian grandparents’ tend to steal the spotlight, because they’re the foodies.)
This casserole is sinfully easy. After you make it, you might look around to see if there are any hidden cameras. It’s really too good to be true!
Step 1: Place half of your potato noodles in the bottom of a 1.9 quart casserole dish.
Step 2: Place 1 cup of your shredded cheese on top of the noodles.
Step 3: Place the rest of your potato noodles on top of the layer of cheese.
Step 4: Top these noodles with cheese and then asparagus.
Step 5: Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 400. Then, sprinkle with grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and broil for 2 minutes.
That’s it. Really, nothing else. Actually, I drizzled the asparagus with olive oil and seasoned with freshly cracked pepper. That’s optional though.
Once the casserole comes out of the oven, the melted gruyere will fill your kitchen with such a luxurious aroma, your guests will think you’ve been taking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris!
To serve, just slice 8 (or 16) pieces and place them on a serving tray. It’s important to cut all the way through the casserole (through the noodles) so that when you scoop out each piece, none of the noodles pull out.
If you make 8 portions, each rectangular piece falls around 200 calories (a bit less). Serve that next to your ham and your Easter feast is complete. Or, serve this next to your Gefilte fish and your Passover feast is complete.
I find this casserole very elegant and soft spoken. Can a casserole even be soft spoken? The creaminess of the gruyere and the lightness of the asparagus and fluffy potato noodles creates a wonderful texture that’s ideal for sharing.
What will you be spiralizing for your Easter/Passover celebration?
Gruyere and Asparagus Potato Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 385 g white potatoes peeled, Blade C
- 2 cups grated gruyere cheese
- 10-12 asparagus spears bottoms snapped off
- pepper to taste from peppercorn grinder
- 2 tsp grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a 1.9 quart casserole dish, place in half of your spiralized potato noodles. On top, evenly spread one cup of the gruyere.
- Next, lay the rest of the potato noodles on top of the layer of gruyere.
- Then, sprinkle the other cup of gruyere over the noodles.
- Lay down your asparagus over the gruyere, pressing down each time. Dust with freshly cracked pepper.
- Finally, place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the casserole, set the oven to broil and sprinkle the top of the casserole with the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Place the casserole back into the oven and broil for 2 minutes.
- When done, slice into eight pieces and serve.
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