Creamy mushroom, sprout and chestnut pasta bake
By:
Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.
- Published: 23 Dec 22
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
‘Pasta bake’ never elicits the most excited of reactions, does it? This dish, however, shows just how incredible a PB can be. Sprouts and chestnuts are two incredible ingredients we often forget about post-Christmas; use them alongside mushrooms, thyme and cheese for a knockout winter warmer.
Check out more hearty winter pasta recipes.
Ingredients
- 180g dried paccheri or other large pasta shape
- 50g unsalted butter
- 200g brussels sprouts, any brown outer leaves removed, then halved
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 200g chestnut purée
- 250ml whole milk
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 50g parmesan or vegetarian equivalent, finely grated
- Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp cider vinegar
- 125g mozzarella, torn (drained weight)
- 100g vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6 and bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes until al dente, then drain.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the sprouts, mushrooms and half the thyme. Cook for around 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and cooked through. Discard the thyme.
- While the sprouts and mushrooms cook, Add the chestnut pureé and milk to a saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk until smooth and steaming hot, then stir in the mustard and parmesan and season with the nutmeg, cider vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Fold the sprouts, mushrooms and half the chestnuts through the sauce, then stir in the pasta. Transfer to an oven dish, sprinkle over the torn mozzarella and remaining chestnuts and bake for 20 minutes. Add the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs, season with a final crack of pepper and serve.
- Recipe from January 2023 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 759kcals
- Fat
- 34.1g (20.3g saturated)
- Protein
- 30.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 78.3g (13.7g sugars)
- Fibre
- 9g
- Salt
- 1.2g
delicious. tips
Traditional bechamel is creamy and comforting, but doesn’t deliver much in the flavour stakes. It’s ripe for infusing with flavour – we’ve gone for chestnut here (the purée works as a substitute for the traditional flour and butter-based roux) but simmering the milk with whatever you fancy can turn it into the star of the show. Experiment with garlic, herb or spice-infused milk, which can then be whisked into a roux to create a cacophony of comforting flavoured sauces.
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Surprisingly moreish! Great way to use up leftover sprouts after Christmas. I added some diced bacon. I didn’t have chestnut purée so I blitzed some vacuum packed chestnut with a bit of milk.