I love using panko - which I've only recently added to my cooking arsenal. But from what I've divined from watching cooking shows it seems to do best as a complement to an item with fat that it can grab onto. As a toss on a sauce it appears that it can lose it's character. So unless it is a topping on a dish drizzled with EVOO for example it can just become another breadcrumb. I could be wrong but I'm just going on what I've seen as of late.

I did a search on Greek Red pepper pasta and came up with this. It sounds similar. The writer says it is Macedonian Pasta with Olives and Feta in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Serves 4 generously â¦500 g package of pasta * â¦1 whole bulb garlic â¦8 roasted red peppers (about 2 1/4 cups chopped) â¦2 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil â¦1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar â¦3/4 � 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes ** â¦1 cup kalamata olives â¦1 bunch basil (about 1/4 cup chopped) â¦300 g feta cheese *** â¦salt and pepper to taste * We used a lovely Greek pasta that Peter gave to us when we went to his house to provide some tech support. And be �we� I mean Mike. I sat and flipped through cookbooks as they did all that computer mumbo-jumbo stuff. And don�t go calling the troops on us for using Greek pasta in a Macedonian dish. Carbs have no borders, in my opinion. The best noodle shape for a sauce like this would probably be a fettucine or linguine, but when you have some fine looking spaghettini in the cupboard, well, who am I to judge? ** Some like it hot, and some like it not. We added 1 tsp of our fiery red pepper flakes and the heat was still very subtle. *** We used a pungent but creamy textured Macedonian feta, but any good Mediterranean feta will do.

It must be the weather, I have been on a pasta kick for the past couple of weeks. It takes me SO LOOOONG to eat up a batch of pasta though. I am still working on the shell pasta with pesto and kidney beans I made last Sun. I still have that other cauliflower recipe you posted with the gruyere cheese on my "to try" list. I love cauliflower! This will be a great recipe for me. Thanks for posting it.

There's always TTHD. TATER TOT HOTDISH -Ground meat (I like to mix Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage with hamburger) -Onion & celery (optional) -Vegetables (Whatever you like. Green beans are sort of "traditional" but I like corn or mixed veg) -Cream soup mixed with milk (Cream of mushroom is "traditional" but I like cream of chicken, broccoli or potato.) -Tater Tots -Cheese (optional) This is so flexible. Use amounts to make the size of dish you want. Use any kind of meat. Roast beef, turkey, chicken... I like to mix them occasionally. It's best to brown the meat and I usually cook the onion and sometimes the celery with it. Depends if I want the onion and celery with a bit of a crunch. Season as you like. I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, garlic, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning usually. Put the meat, onion & celery in the bottom of a baking dish, either in layers or mixed up, top with the veggies, top that with the cream soup and on top go the tater tots. Some like to bake the tots first for extra crunch or they'll be crunchy on top and soft on the bottom. Whatever you prefer. Cheese is optional in it or on it in the last 15 min or so. Bake it until the tots are as brown as you like. The good part is everything is cooked so you don't have that as a problem. Substitute mashed potatoes for tots and you'll have a Shepherd's Pie. You can even use fresh potatoes if you like. Like I said, it's so flexible you really don't need a recipe. Hot rolls, biscuits, toast, etc., all go well with this. Even garlic bread. Another easy option is Scalloped potatoes & ham (or other meat, or go meatless). When I make a macaroni hotdish I don't use a real recipe either. Again, you can add any kind(s) of meat or go without. Similar to baked ziti. Macaroni Hotdish -Meat of your choice -Macaroni or other pasta of your choice. I like the jumbo elbows -Sauce. Can be spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, with or without some diced or stewed tomatoes, or you can use cream soup(s) or you can use a can of gravy, again, it's flexible. -I like to add some kidney beans and sometimes mixed veg or corn Amounts depend on servings desired and the ratio of meat to pasta you like. A starting point would be 1#-2# of meat, 1-2 cups of macaroni, small to large jar/can of sauce and add the amount of other things you like. I also like to add some pepperoni for a bit of spice. Again, season as you like. Garlic bread goes great with it. Veggies can be served on the side or mixed into these. A crisp green salad is a good accompaniment to thse too.