Just when I thought I couldn’t love the Brussels any more, along comes a dish that makes me want to renew my vows.
Also, have you ever had cavatappi AKA scoobi doo pasta? It’s a corkscrew shaped macaroni and it’s my new favourite. Sooo satisfying!
Ooh. On top of that, it’s got cheese. Two kinds.
Let’s give this recipe a slow clap…
This recipe uses a full 2 pounds of thinly sliced sprouts, and a mere 1/2 pound of pasta, so it’s very veg heavy. And while it’s reminiscent of a traditional mac and cheese it’s also made with vegetable broth in lieu of milk for the ‘sauce’. All of that, along with the zest of a lemon gives this cheesy pasta bake an unexpected lightness, perfect for that awkward transition between winter comfort foods and cold fresh summer salads.
Anytime you’ve got more than one type of cheese in a recipe, I’m interested. Here we’ve used an aged cheese with punch, gruyere, and a soft and gooey mozzarella. You could easily substitute the gruyere for parmesan, asiago or Romano, and the mozzarella for another soft cheese like harvarti. A mix of something punchy and creamy is the key.
The prep is really quite simple, and like any similar pasta bake you can easily make it in advance and or freeze it (do both of these before the final bake). One of the real beauties of a dish with hearty ingredients like sprouts and scoobi doo shaped pasta, is that leftovers are just spectacular. Which is a good thing, because I could eat this all week long.
For a family meal that includes people with selective tastes (I’m looking at you, tiny humans) these ingredients work perfectly as a deconstructed meal. Set aside plain pasta, grated cheese and some sautéed Brussel sprout leaves so kids to pick and choose what they want (I’m gonna guess cheese and pasta). When the whole fam jam is eating the same thing, you’ll have more time to spend just enjoying each other’s company at the table.
Cheesy Brussels Sprout Pasta Bake
Prep time | 15 minutes |
Cook time | 25 minutes |
Total time | 40 minutes |
Website | Lightly adapted from Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen |
Ingredients
- 225g short pasta (we used scoobi doo, but macaroni, farfale or another small shape will do.)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2lb brussels sprouts (thinly sliced - about 8 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- the zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 115 g)
- 1 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 115g)
Directions
1. | Preheat oven to 400F. Cook pasta per package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. |
2. | Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and garlic and sauté until the sprouts begin to wilt and soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over sprouts and stir until no remaining flour is visible. Add stock, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 the cheese and stir to combine. |
3. | Transfer pasta to a greased 2 quart baking dish (8" x 11" pyrex dish works well) and sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown, setting the oven to broil for the last minute or two. |
Jackie says
This was delicious!! We like a bit of heat though, so we added some hot chili pepper flakes to the mix. Will definitely be making again!!