About
This is your dinnertime showstopper. Conversations should halt immediately upon seeing this dish. This is Endgame Casserole. That might feel a touch dramatic, but it has a dramatic taste and deserves a little gravitas! Kale, cooked tender, makes a welcome garden-fresh partner to the creamy cheese sauce, the bouncy pasta shells, and the crunchy panko topping. Who says you need meat to be a main course? Endgame Casserole proves that vegetarian cooking can be just as dynamic as the title suggests!
Ingredients
- 4 quarts water
- 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 (16-ounce) package fresh kale, chopped
- 4 cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (8-ounce) package pre-shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces medium-size shell pasta, cooked
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the broiler with the oven rack set about 8-9 inches from the heating element.
Step 2 -Grease a 7x11-inch baking dish.
Step 3 -In a Dutch oven, add the water and 1/4 cup of the salt.
Step 4 -Bring the salted water to a boil over high heat.
Step 5 -Add the kale and boil until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 6 -Drain the kale and pat it dry with paper towels, allowing it to cool for 10 minutes.
Step 7 -Place the milk in a 1-quart measuring cup.
Step 8 -Cover the measuring cup with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Step 9 -In the Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 10 -Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.
Step 11 -Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the raw flour smell disappears, about 2 minutes.
Step 12 -Whisk in the hot milk.
Step 13 -Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a low boil, whisking often.
Step 14 -Cook, whisking often, until thickened, about 6 minutes.
Step 15 -Transfer the Dutch oven from the heat and whisk in the cheese, the hot sauce, the pepper, and the remaining salt.
Step 16 -Fold the kale and the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce.
Step 17 -Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Step 18 -Stir together the panko and the olive oil.
Step 19 -Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta mixture.
Step 20 -Broil until the panko is golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 21 -Serve immediately.
