Leek & Mushroom Pasta Bake with Kale

Assembled in one skillet, this hearty pasta bake is perfect for a filling and flavourful dinner.

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Servings 3

Prep Time 5

Total Time 50

Equipment

1 26cm (10-in) cast iron skillet

Ingredients

400 g (14 oz) mixed mushrooms such as crimini, shitake or oyster, thinly sliced
1-2 medium leeks thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
15 g (2 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
60 ml (¼ cup) dry white wine
120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
120 ml (½ cup) chicken or vegetable stock (see note)
15 ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce
250 g (½ lb) pasta such as penne or rigatoni
50 g (1 ½ cups) kale torn from stems and finely chopped
50 g (½ cup) parmesan cheese finely grated, divided
75 g (¼ cup) ricotta cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Add 45ml (3 tbsp) of olive oil to a large, oven-safe skillet (preferably cast iron) and set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the mushrooms along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are deeply golden brown - about 10 minutes.
Add the leeks along with another pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks have softened - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Sprinkle over the flour and cook for 1 minute, coating the mushrooms and leeks. Then, pour over the wine and cook until absorbed and the alcoholic smell has disipated - another minute or two.
Pour over the milk, chicken stock and soy sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until it's just shy of al dente - about 2 minutes less than the package suggests. Drain, reserving about 250ml (1 cup) of the cooking liquid.
Add the cooked pasta, the kale and 30g (⅓ cup) of the parmesan cheese. Pour over 120ml (½ cup) of the pasta cooking water and stir to combine, allowing the parmesan cheese to melt and emulsify in the sauce. Add more pasta cooking water to reach a loose yet viscous consistency.
Remove the skillet from the heat and dollop the pasta with the ricotta. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and move it to the oven. Bake until bubbling, browned on top and crisp around the edges - about 20 minutes.

Notes

I always test my recipes using unsalted stock and I highly recommend you do the same. This allows you to be more in control of the saltiness of the finished dish.

Nutrition

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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