I am going out! There may be some adult beverages involved so I wanted to make something quick and filling before leaving.
I recently saw Chef Luca Corleone on Threads make a quick pasta dish with Italian Sausage which looked tasty, but I didn't want meat in there. So, I landed on a different idea of using croutons instead! You can, of course, use ready-made croutons, but homemade are more fun, and will soak up more of the sauce.
I know that this is bread and pasta, so very carby, but it is an ideal filler, and very tasty. I used two slices of sourdough, but one would have worked as well!
Chef Luca demonstrates how easy it is to make a bechamel sauce, but it can be even easier!
Ingredients
1/2 tsp dried herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
Handful of button mushrooms
250ml soya milk (or other milk)
1 tbsp corn flour
80g dried pasta
This is for 1 person. Half the amount of bread for a smaller appetite!
Make the pasta following the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta water into a jug and set the drained pasta aside.
Meanwhile heat some oil in a large pan. Cut your bread into cubes. When the oil gets to smoking, add in the bread along with some dried herbs and garlic powder. Toss the cubes in the pan until they are well toasted (a little char is OK!) then empty onto a plate and set aside.
While the bread was toasting, rough chop your mushrooms. When the bread has been emptied onto the plate, add some oil to the pan and add the mushrooms. Stir occasionally until they are well coloured.
Also meanwhile, put the soya milk into a small saucepan. Put 1 tbsp of cornflour in a cup and add in 1 tbsp of the cold milk and mix well. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil then remove from the heat and slowly pour in the cornflour mix, stirring all the time. If you add it too fast then it can create lumps. The sauce will thicken. If it looks too thick, stir in some of your reserved pasta water.
When the mushrooms are browned, take the pan off the heat and pour in the bechamel. Stir in the pasta and put pack on the heat for a minute. If you think it needs it, add in some pasta water to thin the sauce.
Stir in as many croutons as you want and then serve into a warmed bowl.