Creamy Pork Sausage & Gemelli Pasta Bake
with Béchamel, Broccoli & Zucchini
Cooking time
25 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
830 /serving
Creamy béchamel sauce brings yet another layer of comfort to this winter-ready pasta dish. Start by cooking up some good cold weather fuel, in the form of meaty morsels of mild pork sausage meat and a helping of tender broccoli and zucchini. Tuck that into a baking dish with a quickly whisked-together béchamel for an extra blanket of sumptuousness, and give the final topping of panko and mozzarella a broiler browning to take the coziness over the top.
We will send you:
- 500g Mild Italian pork sausage meat
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 Broccoli
- 1 Zucchini
- 38g Panko
- 340g Gemelli
- 90g Mozzarella
- 200ml Milk
- 34.5g Snappy Pepper spice blend (salt, garlic, sugar, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, wheat flour)
Contains: Milk, Wheat
You will need:
Large pot
Large pan
Strainer
Peeler
Large oven-safe baking dish
Total Fat
40 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Sodium
1160 mg
Total Carb
82 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
41 g
Fibre
6 g
Preparation
Cook the sausage meat
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high. Add the sausage meat* and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Transfer to a large oven-safe baking dish and set aside, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Reserve the pan.
Mise en place
While the sausage meat cooks, small-dice the zucchini. Separate the broccoli head from the stem; peel the stem, discarding the bottom inch, and cut the head into florets. Roughly chop the florets and stem into small bite-size pieces. Mince the garlic.
Boil the pasta
Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Boil, 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving ½ cup cooking water, drain the pasta thoroughly. Add the drained pasta to the baking dish of sausage meat.
Sauté the vegetables
While the pasta boils, preheat the oven to broil. In the reserved pan of fond, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high. Add the broccoli and sauté, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the zucchini and sauté, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, until softened; season with S&P to taste. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Transfer to the baking dish with the sausage meat and pasta, and set aside. Reserve the pan.
Make the béchamel
In the same pan, heat 3 tbsp butter on medium. Add the spice blend and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, until a paste forms. Slowly whisk in the milk and ¾ cup water until no lumps remain; generously season with S&P. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook, 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Add the béchamel to the baking dish with the sausage meat, pasta and vegetables, and stir to combine. If the mixture seems dry, gradually add the reserved cooking water until you achieve a creamy consistency. Top with the panko and mozzarella. Transfer to the oven and broil, 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown.
Plate your dish
Divide the finished pasta bake between your plates. Bon appétit!
*Health Canada recommends cooking ground pork to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C.
