Did you buy too many mushrooms for this pasta bake and you’re wondering what else to do with them?

Check out our list of Budget-Friendly Mushroom Recipes for more recipes.

Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake Recipe

Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.

Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake Ingredients:

You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.

• Shells or penne pasta – Use your favorite small pasta. Spaghetti doesn’t work in a pasta bake because it’s really hard to serve.
• Olive oil
• Onion – We prefer the taste of yellow, but you could use white.
• White button mushrooms – Whole mushrooms are cheaper than sliced mushrooms, and it only takes a couple minutes to chop them yourself.
• Salt
• Kale – You want to use fresh kale, not frozen.
• Garlic cloves – Fresh garlic is better than pre-minced garlic because it has more flavor.
• Unsalted butter – We always use unsalted butter so we have more control over the taste of the recipe.
• All-purpose flour – This is to make a roux, which we’ll explain how to do later in the post.
• Heavy cream – If you try to substitute this with something else, you lose a lot of flavor.
• Parmesan cheese, split into two portions
• Ricotta cheese – Part-skim and full-fat both work.
• Lemon pepper
• Breadcrumbs – Plain breadcrumbs work best, but you could use Italian seasoned if that’s all you have at home.

How To Make Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.

Boil your pasta in a large pot of salted water until it’s al dente (the lowest time on the range on the package directions).

Drain the cooked pasta and set it aside.

Quick note: I usually make this with pasta shells instead of penne pasta. I liked it that way because the shells hold the sauce really well. But, I made this version with penne because people tend to have that in the pantry more than shells.

While the pasta is cooking, pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet.

Dice the onions into small pieces.

Cut the mushrooms into slices.

Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet with 1 teaspoon of salt.

Sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

Remove the stems from the kale and pull leaves into small pieces.

Add them to the skillet with 1 teaspoon of salt.

Cook until the kale starts to wilt, about 5 minutes.

Chop the cloves of garlic and add them to the skillet.

Cook for about two minutes.

While that’s cooking, you’re going to make your sauce.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

Quick note: I use the same pot that I cook the pasta in so that I only have to wash it once. This is an easy recipe, but it does use a lot of pots and pans, so reusing one is ideal.

When the butter is melted, add in the flour.

Stir and cook the flour until a sticky, light golden brown, roux forms.

So, a couple notes. You want to constantly stir the flour and butter together so nothing burns. You also don’t want to skip this step. Making a roux is how you thicken the sauce. If you skip this, you’ll end up with a really thin cheese sauce that won’t really coat the pasta at all.

When the roux is done, add in the heavy cream. Turn the heat up to high and bring the heavy cream to a light boil.

Make sure you’re stirring the whole time to completely incorporate the roux into the heavy cream. You want to break up any clumps that form.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir half the parmesan cheese until it’s completely incorporated into the sauce.

While you’re stirring, the sauce will be really fluffy and thick. This is a good sign.

The best way to combine all the ingredients is in the pot rather than trying to stir everything in a casserole pan (which has high sides, but not as high as the pot).

So, add the cooked pasta into the pot.

Then, add the sautéed vegetables into the pot.

Stir until everything is completely coated.

Add the ricotta cheese, lemon pepper, and the rest of the salt into the pot.

Stir until the ricotta cheese is melted and incorporated.

Pour the entire mixture into a casserole dish.

If you don’t have a casserole pan, you can use any large pan, but your cooking time may vary since cake pans are made of a different material than casserole pans.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and the remaining parmesan cheese.

I use homemade breadcrumbs when I make this. They’re seasoned with Italian seasoning and are a little bit larger than traditional breadcrumbs. You can use whatever you have in the pantry. But, if you’re buying breadcrumbs specifically for this recipe, I suggest Italian-style Panko breadcrumbs.

Pour them on top of the pasta bake.

Tent the casserole dish with foil and bake it for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the breadcrumb mixture is golden brown.

Serve and enjoy.

Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake: Frequently Asked Questions

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 Servings

Mushroom And Kale Pasta Casserole

Print

This veggie-packed Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake is a great weeknight dinner. It comes together in under an hour.

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 oz. box of shells or penne pasta
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 16 oz. white button mushrooms
• 3 teaspoons salt, split into three portions
• 1 bunch kale
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 16 oz. heavy cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, split into two portions
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
2. Boil your pasta in a large pot of salted water until it’s al dente (the lowest time on the range on the package directions). Drain the cooked pasta and set it aside.
3. While the pasta is cooking, pour a drizzle of olive oil into a large skillet.
4. Dice the onions into small pieces.
5. Cut the mushrooms into slices.
6. Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet with 1 teaspoon of salt. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the stems from the kale and pull leaves into small pieces.
8. Add them to the skillet with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the kale starts to wilt, about 5 minutes.
9. Chop the cloves of garlic and add them to the skillet. Cook for about two minutes.
10. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
11. When the butter is melted, add in the flour. Stir and cook the flour until a sticky, light golden brown, roux forms.
12. Add in the heavy cream. Turn the heat up to high and bring the heavy cream to a light boil.
13. Remove the pot from the heat and stir half the parmesan cheese until it’s completely incorporated into the sauce.
14. Add the cooked pasta into the pot.
15. Then, add the sautéed vegetables into the pot. Stir until everything is completely coated.
16. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon pepper, and the rest of the salt into the pot. Stir until the ricotta cheese is melted and incorporated.
17. Pour the entire mixture into a casserole dish.
18. Mix together the breadcrumbs and the remaining parmesan cheese. Pour them on top of the pasta bake.
19. Tent the casserole dish with foil and bake it for 15 minutes.
20. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the breadcrumb mixture is golden brown.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 237Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 26mgSodium 438mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 13g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Have you made this Mushroom And Kale Pasta Bake? Comment below and let us know what you thought of it.