Italian Wedding Pasta Bake
This Italian wedding pasta bake really captures the flavors of Italian wedding soup. It's lightly cheesy, veggie- and meatball-forward, fragrant with fresh herbs, and baked under a crisp Parmesan and panko breadcrumb topping.
Ingredient
- cooking spray
- 12 ounces dried farfalle pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (32 ounce) carton reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 5 cups chopped kale or baby spinach
- 1 (26-ounce) package frozen Italian meatballs, thawed
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Direction
- Gather all ingredients.
- Italian Wedding Pasta Bake ingredients including pasta, vegetables, and meatballs arranged in bowls on a counter
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes; drain and transfer to a bowl.
- Cooked bowtie pasta draining in a metal colander over a white bowl
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, covered, until carrots are nearly tender, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
- Chopped vegetables sautéing in a white pot on an induction burner
- Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Hand adding minced garlic to sautéed vegetables in a white pot with a wooden spoon
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture; cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Hand adding flour to sautéed vegetables in a white pot for sauce thickening
- While stirring, slowly pour in broth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is slightly thickened, 1 minute more.
- Wooden spoon stirring creamy vegetable mixture in a white pot on a stovetop
- Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Hand pouring grated Parmesan cheese into the creamy vegetable sauce in a pot
- Add kale; cook and stir until kale is wilted, 1 minute.
- Wooden spoon stirring kale into a creamy vegetable sauce in a white pot
- Add cooked pasta, meatballs, 2 tablespoons oregano, pepper, and salt to the pot; stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
- Finished pasta bake with meatballs, kale, and bowtie pasta in a white baking dish
- To make the topping: Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl. Add panko and stir to combine. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle topping over the casserole.
- Hand sprinkling breadcrumbs over pasta bake in a white baking dish
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and heated through, about 20 minutes.
- Golden-brown baked pasta dish with breadcrumbs on a cooling rack
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with remaining 1 tablespoon oregano and the parsley.
