Kale and mushroom pasta bake

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: AutumnWinter

Have you been craving a homey, hearty pasta bake since the weather turned? Here it is – using organic curly kale, fresh from our local farms. Kale is settling in for its solid season in the veg boxes. So versatile: soups, stews, pasta, risottos, stir-fries or just roasted into kale crisps. We’d love to hear your favourite ways to cook and eat it. Just drop us a line on our socials.

Pasta with kale and mushroom is a common combo these days, for good reason. This particular recipe is from food writer Michelle at thelastfoodblog.com. To bump up the protein, you could add some toasted, roughly chopped walnuts in the mix. For a veganized dish, check out this creamy cheesy plant-based sauce.

Not enough fresh mushrooms to hand? If you have some dried ones in your store cupboard, eg shiitake or porcini, rehydrate a few to add in. We stock dried mixed mushrooms in our online shop.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

350g mushrooms, wiped clean, sliced (or a mix of fresh mushrooms and rehydrated dried mushrooms)

1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1.5 cups shredded curly kale (woody stems removed)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

sea salt (½ tsp) and ground black pepper (½ tsp)

350 g (dry) pasta, eg penne/fusilli

½ cup of dried breadcrumbs

½ cup finely grated hard Italian cheese eg parmesan, pecorino

1 tsp chopped parsley, for garnish

FOR THE SAUCE:

50g (¼ cup) butter

50g (⅓ cup) plain flour

500 ml (1 pint) milk

½ tbsp dijon mustard

sea salt (¼ tsp) and black pepper (¼ tsp)

½ cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Method

Heat olive oil in a large pan, add the chopped onion, cook over medium heat until soft (about 10 mins).

Add butter to the pan. Once melted, add the mushrooms, thyme and salt. Cook for about 5 mins or until the mushrooms release their juices. Stir once or twice.

Add the garlic and the kale, stir well and cook until the kale wilts slightly, about 5 mins. Set aside and keep warm by popping a lid on the pan.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions minus 5 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).

MAKE THE SAUCE:

Melt 50g butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir well. Cook for 2 mins then start slowly adding the milk. Use a whisk to prevent lumps forming. Keep whisking until you have a thick creamy sauce.

Stir in ½ a tbsp of Dijon mustard, season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to boil then remove from the heat. Stir in half a cup of finely grated cheese. Set sauce aside.

MAKE THE BAKE:

Drain pasta and tip into a large casserole dish. Stir in the mushroom kale mixture then stir in the sauce. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan over the pasta.

Loosely cover the dish with foil then bake for 25 to 30 mins. Remove the foil halfway through cooking to brown the topping. Leave to cool slightly then serve.