Mushrooms and Greens Pasta Bake

Hello, welcome to Sunday Supper! I do love a pasta bake; gooey melted cheese with pasta and, in today’s recipe, mushrooms and greens. Instead of a cream-based sauce, we will use Boursin and hot pasta water to create a sauce to gently coat the veg and pasta before layering with mozzarella and baking to golden, gooey perfection. Let’s get right to it!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Get a pot with 3 quarts of water set to boil over high heat, covered. Now on to the mushrooms. I want meaty mushrooms for this dish, so I went with portobellos. Overall I probably have about 3-4 cups of sliced mushrooms.

The Mushrooms!

I want to cook out as much of the mushroom liquid as possible, so I am starting them off in a pan with 1/2 cup of water. This will help the mushrooms to release their liquid and we will cook it all off.

Let the mushrooms boil until all the water is cooked off. Stir the mushrooms occasionally to prevent sticking.

When the water is evaporated, stir in a drizzle of olive oil and add the sliced onion to the skillet. Sprinkle with a big pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine and let cook until the onion softens.

When the onion is softened, add the garlic and stir to combine. Let the garlic cook for about a minute. Then add 2 teaspoons each dried oregano and thyme. Add three to five cranks of black pepper and another pinch of kosher salt. Add 1 teaspoon or less red pepper flakes. Give the seasonings a good stir and turn the heat to low.

The Greens!

Add the kale to the skillet and stir it in to combine well. Add another drizzle of olive oil and let kale wilt over low heat, stirring occasionally, while we turn our attention to the pasta.

The Pasta!

I love to try out pasta shapes that are new to me. I found this Mafaldine pasta that I wanted to try. Mafaldine pasta is like very narrow lasagne. I thought it seemed like a fun pasta to try for this. You can use whatever pasta shape you like. We will cook the pasta to just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.

Add the al dente pasta back to the pot over low heat and add one and a half packages of the Boursin cheese to the noodles. Be sure the Boursin is at room temp and break it up into pieces as you add it to the pasta. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the reserved hot pasta water to help melt and loosen the Boursin and stir it into the pasta to create a light creamy sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to keep it saucy and not dry.

Then add the mushrooms and greens to the pasta pot.

Once everything is coated in the Boursin sauce, transfer half of the pasta mix to a casserole dish. Use half of the remaining Boursin to top the layer of pasta mix. Then sprinkle the top with grated mozzarella. Pour the remaining pasta mix on top of the cheese layer.

Use the last of the Boursin to top the pasta and then the remaining mozzarella to completely cover the top of the pasta and Boursin. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

At the 20-minute mark, uncover the casserole and finish baking uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and begins to brown in spots. Let the Mushrooms and Greens Pasta Bake sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Mushrooms and Greens Pasta Bake

Serve in wide shallow bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan, if you like.

The greens are wilted and perfectly tender, which makes for a great texture with the bouncy pasta, which is not overcooked at all. The mushrooms are meaty and super flavorful because we concentrated all their flavor in the prep cook. The Boursin is such an easy way to create a light sauce, it’s herby and tangy, making a great flavor contrast to the bitterness of the greens and the earthiness of the mushrooms. And of course we have rich gooey mozzarella!

Thank you so much for joining me today for Sunday Supper. Remember you can peruse the Sunday Supper Archives for great supper ideas for your lazy Sunday. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Mushrooms and Greens Pasta Bake

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 Minutes – Cooking Time: 30 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour

Portobello Mushrooms, Tuscan Kale and pasta tossed with creamy Boursin; layered with mozzarella cheese and baked to golden perfection.

Ingredients

• 18-20 oz. Portobello Mushroom, sliced into bitesize pieces
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 medium Onion, sliced thin
• Drizzle of Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• 2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Dried Oregano
• 2 tsp. Dried Thyme
• 2 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 10 oz. package Tuscan Kale
• 10 oz. Dried Pasta
• 1.5 tbsp. Kosher Salt for the Pasta Water
• 10 oz. (2 packages) Boursin Cheese, divided
• 1 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• Garnish with chopped Parsley and Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2

In a large skillet or braised over medium-high heat, cook the mushrooms with the 1/2 cup water until all the water is evaporated. Stir the mushrooms occasionally to prevent sticking.

3

When the water is evaporated, stir in a drizzle of olive oil and add the sliced onion to the skillet. Sprinkle with a big pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine and let cook until the onion softens.

4

When the onion is softened, add the garlic and stir to combine. Let the garlic cook for about a minute. Then add 2 teaspoons each dried oregano and thyme. Add three to five cranks of black pepper and another pinch of kosher salt. Add 1 teaspoon or less red pepper flakes. Give the seasonings a good stir and turn the heat to low.

5

Add the kale to the skillet and stir it in to combine well. Add another drizzle of olive oil and let kale wilt over low heat, stirring occasionally, while we turn our attention to the pasta.

6

Salt the boiling pasta water. Cook the pasta to just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.

7

Add the al dente pasta back to the pot over low heat and add one and a half packages of the Boursin cheese to the noodles. Be sure the Boursin is at room temp and break it up into pieces as you add it to the pasta. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the reserved hot pasta water to help melt and loosen the Boursin and stir it into the pasta to create a light creamy sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to keep it saucy and not dry.

8

Then add the mushrooms and greens to the pasta pot.

9

Once everything is coated in the Boursin sauce, transfer half of the pasta mix to a casserole dish. Use half of the remaining Boursin to top the layer of pasta mix. Then sprinkle the top with grated mozzarella. Pour the remaining pasta mix on top of the cheese layer.

10

Use the last of the Boursin to top the pasta and then the remaining mozzarella to completely cover the top of the pasta and Boursin. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

11

At the 20-minute mark, uncover the casserole and finish baking uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and begins to brown in spots. Let the Mushrooms and Greens Pasta Bake sit for 10 minutes before serving.

12

Serve in wide shallow bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan, if you like.

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