Outside-the-Box Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
1 pound short pasta, such as penne
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
4-6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
8 1⁄2 ounce jar sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed (I just used two bags of broccoli florets.)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
4 ounces cream cheese
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne and cook 1 to 2 minutes less than instructed by packaging. Drain and let cool a little.
2. Whisk milk, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire, nutmeg, and black pepper in large bowl. Add pasta and stir well.
3. In large ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat cook bacon until starting to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and black pepper. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pasta mixture, cream cheese, and 3 cups cheddar cheese to skillet and stir until cream cheese melts.
4. Top pasta mixture with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until casserole is set and top is golden brown and starting to crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Note: If you do not have an ovensafe skillet, transfer everything to a lightly greased baking dish between steps 3 and 4. Proceed as directed.
Comments
This recipe is from the fantastic How to Boil Water. It’s almost like a quiche with pasta instead of a crust and very tasty. I love the way all of the flavors come together into a dish we all enjoy. When I first made this I followed the original directions and baked it in a casserole dish, but I’ve since realized that I can spare my dishwasher a dish if I just cook it directly in the skillet used for everything else.
This dish also works well with the addition of cooked, crumbled sausage or chicken if you’re interested in making it into a one dish meal.
Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.
How to Boil Water