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Bechamel Pasta Bake

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Do you have a house full of hungry teens? Is it Earl’s poker night and you need a dish that’ll fill 8 people up? Are you experiencing a global pandemic and need warm comfort pasta? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have a pasta casserole for you.

 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces pastas of your choice (we used red lentil penne because it has been sitting in the pantry for too long)
  • 8–12 ounces sliced mushrooms of your choice (frozen works too)
  • 1–1.5 cups peas (frozen works)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 5 cups milk
  • 1 stick of butter (8 Tablespoons)
  • 8 Tablespoons flour
  • 2–3 Tablespoons La Dulce Vita (salty and sweet Italian spice)
  • 1 teaspoon That’s Amore Classic Italian Herb Seasoning
  • Black pepper and salt to taste
  • 1 cup pasta water
  • 1–2 cups shredded mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400, warm milk in a pan
  2. Make pasta according to instructions in a large pasta pan
  3. Melt butter in (very) large saucepan, Slowly add in the flour, constantly stirring until the it turns into a paste and bubbles but doesn’t burn/brown, about 2-3 mins.
  4. Add hot milk a little bit at a time, stirring constantly until it thickens. Bring mixture to a light boil (still stirring) then lower heat, add La Dulce Vita, That’s Amore Italian herbs and salt/pepper to taste. Add cheese (optional). Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring constantly.
  5. When pasta is done, drain (keep 1 cup pasta water), toss pasta back into the large pasta pan, add sauce, mushrooms, peas and tomatoes over it. Stir well. If the mixture is too thick, slowly add in pasta water until it gets to more of a creamy consistency.
  6. Pour in a large casserole dish, cover with foil and bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

In retrospect, this would be the perfect dish to hide a few handfuls of spinach in.

Find it online: https://pinchspicemarket.com/blog/bechamel-pasta-bake-aka-pandemic-casserole-236/