Garlic Lover's Pasta (Vampire Pasta)

For national noodle month, we are making a true garlic lover's cheesy baked pasta.  We always prefer to use penne for our baked mac n cheese.  You know, this recipe was originally called Dracula's revenge, but that made no sense to me since the trope is that vampires hate garlic.  So we changed it to Dracula's Bane and then just Vampire pasta instead, but really, this is for folks who agree that there is no such thing as too much garlic.  We also like to add broccoli to this bake!  The original recipe was also... how to say this... terrible on proper ratios for a bechamel.  (Sorry Cooking Light, the originals were better for a reason.)  So we completely overhauled it closer to where it should be.  The result was a dish that the kids clamor for, and the grandparents loved when we made it for them over Christmas.  Youngest has been begging to make it again, so here we are.

(Remember when cooking pasta for a baked casserole or baked mac-n-cheese, it will finish cooking in the oven.  So don't cook the pasta to fully tender on the stove top or the final dish will end up with overcooked noodles.  Same with the broccoli.) 

The kids agreed that this would be really great with sauteed mushrooms in place of the sausage if anyone wanted to do a meatless Monday version!  I would personally use a pound of criminis, sliced, and give them a really nice sear in a tiny bit of oil and butter.  Then toss with the fresh herbs just as with the sausage.

Vampire Pasta
makes one 9x13" pan, about 8 servings

2½ heads of garlic (yes, 2½ whole heads)
1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage
1-2 tsp each, chopped fresh sage and rosemary (we like 2 tsp)
4 tbsp butter
⅓ cup flour
4 cups milk (2% or whole)
1 cup (4 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
⅔ cup (~2½ oz) shredded Gruyére
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
12 oz penne pasta, cooked to just barely al dente
2 heads broccoli, cut into small florets

olive or avocado oil 

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Grease a 9x13" pan with baking spray.

Start a large pot of salted water to boil. 

Separate the 2 whole garlic heads into cloves and remove from their skins.  In a saucepan over medium low heat, pan roast the whole cloves in a little avocado or olive oil until slightly caramelized, soft, and translucent, stirring occasionally.  Remove to a bowl and mash lightly.

Separate the remaining half head of garlic cloves, remove the skins, and finely chop the cloves.  Set aside. 

To save time, cook the pasta (according to pkg directions) while making the Mornay sauce.  Add the broccoli to the pasta about 3-5 minutes before it is finished.  Save ½ cup of the pasta water to adjust the sauce to desired consistency.

In a pan, over medium heat, cook the sausage with a small drizzle of oil if necessary, breaking up into crumbles.  When the sausage is well browned, remove from the heat, drain any excess oil, and add the sage and rosemary.  Set aside in a large bowl.

In the same pan used to cook the sausage, melt the butter.  Add in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the flour, stirring with a whisk.  Gradually add the milk, cooking and stirring, until the sauce has thickened, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the mashed roasted garlic, cheeses, salt, and pepper.  Remove from the heat.

Add the sauce and the cooked pasta and broccoli to the bowl with the sausage. Stir to evenly coat.  If you want a slightly saucier pasta, add in a couple tbsp pasta water and mix.  (If you transfer the pasta directly from the water to the sauce, with a spiral skimmer/spider, there will be enough water left in the noodles to loosen just a touch.)

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake for 15-25 minutes until heated through and thoroughly bubbly.  (We like to bake long enough to brown the top.)

Let cool for 2 minutes before serving. 

Adding the pasta to the saucepan to help scrape
out the rest of the cheesy garlic sauce!

Nicely mixed and ready to bake.

We love baking until there is a nice golden crust!

 Be sure to check out all the other ways our bakers used their noodles this week:

• A Messy Kitchen: Garlic Lover's Pasta
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Kung Pao Noodles
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Manchow Soup 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Protein Packed Noodle Bowl 
• Food Lust People Love: Savory Garlic Rice Noodles 
• Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Sour Cream Noodles
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Stir Fry Noodles with Beef
• Sneha's Recipe: Vegan Thai Peanut Butter Noodles 
• Our Good Life: Winter Comfort Food: Butter Noodles