Sprouts and Potatoes Pasta

Sprouts and potatoes pasta combines several of my favorite things into one cheesy casserole. Read on to see if you want to try it, too.

I know, I know. Potatoes and pasta is a “double starch” which has long been frowned upon in the US (unless it’s a holiday). However, they work surprisingly well together. Other food cultures combine starches (like this keema curry). They fill the belly and comfort the soul.

The inspiration recipe comes from Nigella Lawson. She, in turn, was inspired by an Italian recipe called pizzoccheri which features buckwheat noodles, savoy cabbage, potatoes and cheese. While reading the recipe I recalled watching the Two Greedy Italians making the same dish.

Nigella substitutes whole grain pasta and brussels sprouts. I used regular penne pasta and Swiss cheese for mine. A web search reveals other substitutions:

• chard or kale for cabbage/sprouts
• fontina, Gruyere, Swiss or Emmental cheese
• penne, ziti, tagliatelle pasta

The ability to mix and match makes sprouts and potatoes pasta an easy pantry meal.

Another advantage to this casserole over others I’ve made is the pasta and veggies cook together in the same pot. Once mixed with ricotta cheese and your choice of melty cheese, it’s just a matter of baking to put some color on the top.

I halved Nigella’s recipe to fit my 9 inch round casserole dish. There was more than enough for two of us, plus leftovers for lunches. As expected, this is a hearty, filling plate.

As much as we enjoyed this version, Rick and I thought a mornay sauce (cheesy white sauce) would make a creamier pasta. Next time, we’ll try that!

Sprouts and Potatoes Pasta

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• ½ pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• ⅓ pound small, waxy potatoes, washed and cut into halves or quarters
• ½ pound penne pasta
• salt for pasta and veggie water
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 3 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 4 sage leaves shredded
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or more

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Add the potatoes, pasta and sprouts to a large pot. Cover with a generous amount of water and stir in a generous amount of salt.

  Bring to a boil and cook until the pasta and veggies are just tender. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Return the pasta and veggies to the pot or transfer them to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a small skillet. Stir in the grated garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the sage leaves. Cook until the leaves start to get crispy. Remove from heat.
• Stir the ricotta, shredded cheese and flavored butter/oil into the hot pasta. Transfer to a casserole dish, top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Notes

We served our pasta with grilled sausages and a salad. The extra sausages were chopped and added to the leftovers.

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This week is Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Be sure to drop by to see what the other members have made.