recipe from www.smittenkitchen.com
It felt wonderful to be back in the kitchen preparing full meals for my family after months of nausea. If you know me well, you know that I take great delight in the art of homemaking, and enjoy the weekly routine of meal planning, grocery shopping and preparing meals to be shared around the table. Looking for new inspiration, I quickly turned to Smitten Kitchen's catalogue of recipes.
This pasta bake highlights several of our family's favorite ingredients from the satisfying comfort of cheese to the subtle zip of Italian sausage. Like many of the recipes I now prepare in an effort to accommodate our busy afternoon schedule, I prepared the baked pasta midday and baked off later that day. An elegant twist on a classic baked pasta dish, it served my family and guests well.
Pasta and assembly:
1 pound chunky pasta of your choice ( I used Gigli.)
1 bundle broccoli rabe (I substituted one head broccoli.)
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I liked the idea of having larger pieces of sausage similar in size to the cut broccoli, so I opted to slice the Italian sausage into bite-sized chunks. I used 3 sausages from the butcher.)
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Béchamel:
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
few gratings fresh nutmeg
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (Optional: Add a splash of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking.) Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the chopped broccoli rabe or broccoli. Drain the broccoli and pasta together and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this same pan for the béchamel) over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown. Or, in batches cook sliced sausage, browning on each side. Remove with slotted spoon, leaving behind any fat.
To make the béchamel, melt the butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and stir into the butter until smooth. Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in a small drizzle of milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth. Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly. Once you've added a little over half of the milk, you'll notice the sauce becoming very thick, almost like batter. Begin to add the milk in larger splashes, and continue mixing. Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper. Bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook, stirring frequently for ten minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Add the sausage and béchamel to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli. Stir in the mozzarella and half the grated parmesan until combined. Pour into a lasagna pan or deep 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining parmesan. In a 400 degree oven, bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges and tops of noodles are starting to brown.
1 bundle broccoli rabe (I substituted one head broccoli.)
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I liked the idea of having larger pieces of sausage similar in size to the cut broccoli, so I opted to slice the Italian sausage into bite-sized chunks. I used 3 sausages from the butcher.)
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Béchamel:
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
few gratings fresh nutmeg
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (Optional: Add a splash of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking.) Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the chopped broccoli rabe or broccoli. Drain the broccoli and pasta together and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this same pan for the béchamel) over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown. Or, in batches cook sliced sausage, browning on each side. Remove with slotted spoon, leaving behind any fat.
To make the béchamel, melt the butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and stir into the butter until smooth. Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in a small drizzle of milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth. Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly. Once you've added a little over half of the milk, you'll notice the sauce becoming very thick, almost like batter. Begin to add the milk in larger splashes, and continue mixing. Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper. Bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook, stirring frequently for ten minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Add the sausage and béchamel to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli. Stir in the mozzarella and half the grated parmesan until combined. Pour into a lasagna pan or deep 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining parmesan. In a 400 degree oven, bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges and tops of noodles are starting to brown.
