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salt milk bay leaves kale Pasta white beans butter all-purpose sharp white Cheddar cheese freshly grated Parmesan cheese freshly ground black pepper whole wheat bread crumbs
Viewed: 8 - Published at: 4 years agoIngredients
- salt
- 2 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch kale (any kale or chard will do)
- 1 lb pasta, elbow, shell, ziti
- 1 (15 ounce) can of northern white beans, drained
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
- Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand.
- In the salted water, cook the pasta al dente. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.
- Trim the stems from the kale. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add kale. Boil kale for one minute, remove, and set aside to cool. Squeeze excess water from kale and chop into edible pieces.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan and kale, mix in the white beans, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.
