Cheesy Stovetop Pasta with Mushrooms and Chicken
Inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit, this cozy dish is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken or Thanksgiving turkey. If you want to make it vegetarian, omit the meat and replace the chicken broth with water. A sprinkling of gremolata—a mix of chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest—adds a sparkle of brightness to this rich pasta.
ingredients
- 12 ounces mixed button mushrooms trimmed and sliced
- 5 tbsp olive oil divided
- Leaves from 1 large thyme sprig
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ small onions finely chopped
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken broth or turkey broth
- ½ cups heavy cream
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 oz lasagne pasta noodles, broken in half, or other favorite pasta shape
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat
- 7 oz round Castello gouda cheese shredded
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh fresh parsley
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemons
- 1 small garlic clove minced
preparation
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over moderately high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until starting to brown. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over top and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Reduce heat to moderate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over top and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
Add milk, chicken broth and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to dissolve flour and cook until gently bubbling. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and red pepper flakes.
Add about ⅓ of the noodles, pushing down into the sauce to submerge, followed by a third of the mushrooms, a third of the shredded gouda and half of the chicken. Repeat with half of the remaining noodles, half of the remaining mushrooms, half of the remaining gouda and all of the remaining chicken. Top with another layer of noodles. Set remaining gouda and mushrooms aside.
Cover the skillet with a lid or foil and cook over moderate heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until noodles are tender and sauce is thickened, 5–8 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Heat broiler. Sprinkle reserved gouda and mushrooms over the pasta. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Let rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
While pasta rests, make gremolata: Stir together parsley, lemon zest and garlic.
Just before serving, sprinkle gremolata over pasta and serve at once.