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Kayotic Pasta Gratin
When I want to make the men in my life happy, I cook this. Okay, so it kinda makes me happy, too. What is it? Think of it as a combination between baked pasta and a gratin, sans the cream. Plus, it’s the ideal way for me to get the kiddo to eat broccoli; something he won’t touch with a 10 foot pole otherwise.
Just a simple but incredibly tasty dish that you can make ahead of time and pop in the oven when you come home. Not really low-fat but also not super fattening. Definitely my kinda soul food.
Ingredients:
1 pound sausage (Jimmy Dean hot)
1 pound broccoli
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
4 tbsp chicken broth
1/2 pound shell pasta
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
breadcrumbs
grated Parmesan
Sauce:
3oz butter
5 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
4 oz cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
cayenne
pepper
Directions:
In the Netherlands we don’t have something like Jimmy Dean sausage, so I just took regular sausages out of their casings and spiked them with cayenne. Or you could use ground beef in stead.
Mince the onion and grate or mince the garlic cloves.
Cut the broccoli in small florets. You could also make this dish with cauliflower btw.
Heat a drop of oil and cook the onions, over medium heat, for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
This is just my personal favorite combination, use whatever herb combination stole your heart. Fresh or dried. Sage works really well in this dish, or go for basil.
Add 2 tsp oregano and 1 tsp dried parsley to the onions. Cook for an additional minute to get the flavors going.
Add the sausage and break it up with a spatula. Cook over low to medium heat, until it starts to lose its rawness.
In the mean time we’ll cook the pasta. I opted for Pipe Rigate, but you can use any type of shell pasta for this. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the instructions on the package.
If there’s a lot of fat coming out of the sausage, drain it. Yes, all of it (glares). Add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes while stirring. Spoon in 4 tbsp chicken (or vegetable broth), pop the lid on and simmer the meat and broccoli over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Time to whip up the sauce. Heat 3 oz butter and add 5 slightly heaping tbsp flour. Cook for a minute to neutralize the rawness of the flour.
Pour in 2 cups of milk and keep a third cup nearby. Bring the sauce to a boil while gently stirring. Bit by bit, add the third cup of milk until you reach a consistency you like. I usually go for a full 3 cups.
Spike the sauce with 2 tsp Dijon mustard and add salt to taste—I’ve added 1 tsp salt, just keep in mind we’ll also be adding cheese! Let the sauce simmer, over very low heat, for a few minutes.
The pasta and meat should be done by now. Drain the pasta and remove the meat from the stove.
Finish the sauce with pepper, a good pinch of cayenne and the grated cheese. You can use Parmesan, Gouda, Gruyere or even cheddar for this. Any type of cheese you like. Or be adventurous and mix two types of cheese.
Now either add the pasta to the meat & broccoli in the pan, or transfer things to an oven dish and mix it there. Your call.
Pour the sauce all over. This looks so yummy, doesn’t it? And not a drop of cream in it, though you’d never tell.
Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan on top of the sauce.
Put the pasta in a preheated oven and bake at 400F (200C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Until bubbly hot and golden brown on top.
This is every bit as comforting and delicious as it looks. Can you really blame my guys for loving it as much as they do?
Kay’s Recipe Card
Click here for printable size.
Delicious! Really enjoyed it and with the amount of leftovers, I will keep enjoying it for a few more days!
Hi Kay!
I have been reading your blog for a while and now I am trying my first recipe, this pasta gratin. It is in the oven as we speak and my husband is already drooling over it. I added some peeled tomatoes that I had lying around and sprinkled a layer of fresh basil over the pasta before pouring the sauce on. Otherwise, I made it exactly to your recipe and it looks picture perfect. Thanks so much. I’m sure it will turn out to be delicious!
Just made this for my family, everyone loved it which is a hard task, 1 husband, 1 five year old, 1 3 year old and 1 15 month old you can see why. Super yummy thanks for sharing.
Kirsten
Thanks mate. I will publish this in my cookin site in Bulgaria.
What kind of cheese do you use for the sauce?
I have this in the oven right now. I just had the recipe card with me when I went shopping so I didn’t realize you used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage so I got Sweet Italian Sausage instead.
Can’t wait to see how this turns out. Broccoli is not my favorite vegetable (but it is my sons) but I’m sure the sauce will make it taste great ;-) I used a 5cheese Italian cheese blend for the sauce so I’m sure it’s going to be yummy.
Just made this dish and it was so good! My 1 year-old kept asking for more! Can’t wait till the leftovers tomorrow ;-)
I went a little too crazy with the cayenne, but we like our meals spicey here, so no harm done.
Love your website Kay, you are kinda my teacher, I was all boxes&cans and am now learning to cook ‘from scratch’ from your recipes!
*bows*
:-)
Made this last night the whole family loved it!!
Thanks !!
i love the way u put pictures alongwith the recipe its very helpfull.
I made this the other day and shared it with some hungry uni flatmates. It went down a treat! I used sichuan pepper instead of cayenne and it worked really well! Thanks very much for the recipe – it’s become an instant favourite (as has the rest of your blog..!)
This is bubbling in my oven right now… a tripled version, sort of a clean out the fridge and cover it with unbelievable goodness sorta casserole. I, of course, already taste tested it (several times!) I upp’ed the cayenne just a tad and substituted gnocchi for the pasta as I didn’t have enough pasta for the amount I was making.. talk about DELICIOUS!!!!! mmmm mmmm ! Thanks very much for the great idea! Our tummies thank you! :)
~Wendy
Awesome recipe!! Had it tonight, it was sooooo good. Loved that it was full meal : ). Protein, dairy and veggie!