Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bake with Kale
A deliciously creamy mushroom pasta bake with kale. Perfect for a cosy winter dinner.
Servings 4
Calories 644kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium brown onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 350 g /12oz chestnut/brown mushrooms wiped clean then sliced
- 1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 100 g /1 and ½ cups of shredded curly kale woody stems removed
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 350 g (dry weight) pasta I used penne pasta
- 30 g /½ a cup of breadcrumbs I used Panko breadcrumbs (optional)
- 45 g ½ of a cup of finely grated hard Italian cheese I used a veggie pecorino
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
For the sauce
- 50 g / ¼ of a cup of butter I used salted butter
- 50 g / ⅓ of a cup of plain/all-purpose flour
- 500 ml / 1 pint of milk I used semi-skimmed milk
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 45 g /½ a cup of finely grated pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F fan, 200C/392F conventional oven.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan, add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan once it has melted add the mushrooms, thyme and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms release their juices. Stir once or twice.
- Next, add the garlic and the kale, stir well and cook until the kale wilts slightly, for about 5 minutes. Set aside and keep warm by popping a lid on the pan.Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet minus 5 minutes.
To Make The Sauce
- Melt 50g or ¼ cup of butter in a saucepan, add the 50g or ⅓ of a cup of plain(all-purpose flour) and stir well. Cook for two minutes then start slowly adding the milk. Use a whisk to prevent lumps forming. Keep whisking until you have a thick creamy sauce. Once the sauce is thick and creamy stir in ½ a tablespoon of dijon mustard.Season the sauce with ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.Bring the sauce to the boil then remove from the heat.Stir in 45g or ½ a cup of finely grated pecorino cheese.Set aside until you are ready to use it.
Making The Pasta Bake
- When the pasta is done drain it then tip it into a large casserole dish. Stir in the mushroom and kale mixture then gently stir in the sauce.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan over the pasta then bake.Loosely cover the dish with tin foil then place on oven 25 to 30 minutes.Remove the foil halfway through cooking to brown the topping.Leave to cool slightly then serve.
Notes
- Pasta - Penne or fusilli pasta is best for this recipe. Wholewheat pasta works well too.
- Milk - I used semi-skimmed milk for this recipe, you can use full-fat milk if you wish.
- Butter - Salted butter is my butter of choice for this, you can use unsalted butter if you wish.
- Freezing/reheating/leftovers - This dish really is best made adn eaten fresh however you can freeze it if you wish. I would omit the topping if I were to freeze this. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 - 3 days and can be reheated in the oven.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutritional tool, it is approximate and is based on one serving of four. It is based on the nutritional values of dry weight pasta.
- For US readers - I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy. For best results, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible.
Nutrition
Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 76.2g | Protein: 26.1g | Fat: 23.7g | Saturated Fat: 11.3g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 703mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 2.8g | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 5mg