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 7×11-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.
