Brussels and Three Cheese Pasta Bake

Summary
Prep time	30 min
Cook time	30 min
Source	Smitten Kitchen Everyday (pg 157)
Yield / serves	4 servings
Rating	Very good

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb pasta, like gemelli, or something twisty
• 2 T unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 oz thinly sliced or shredded brussels sprouts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 c vegetable broth
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 c finely grated Parmesan
• 1 c coarsely grated Gruyere
• 1 c coarsely grated fontina

Preparation

Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until very al dente, a full 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oven to 400°. Butter a 2-quart or 9-inch round baking dish.

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet (or in the bottom of the pot where you just cooked your pasta) over medium-high heat.

Once it's hot, add the garlic and let it sizzle for 10-20 seconds, then add the brussels sprouts.

Season well with salt and pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until brighter green but barely wilted.

Add the lemon zest and stir to mix. Add 2 tablespoons butter and stir until melted.

Sprinkle the flour in and stir until you no longer see it.

Add the broth a glug at a time, stirring constantly. Once all the broth is added, simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then the cooked pasta; stir to evenly coat.

Combine the cheeses in a bowl and stir in all but 2/3 cup of them into the pasta and sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasons; don't hold back on black pepper here.

Scrape the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned on top.

Notes

• This dish is also good with asparagus and other spring vegetables, parcooked, when brussels are out of season.