Creamy Garlic, Mushroom and Kale Pasta Bake
This one is a proper crowd-pleaser and honestly one of our go-to bakes when we want something that feels indulgent but is completely plant-based. The creamy garlic sauce is built on soaked mushrooms blended until silky smooth, which gives it this deep, savoury richness that tastes like it took way longer than it did. Crispy kale on top adds a bit of texture and that slightly nutty flavour that just works so well against the creamy pasta underneath. It's the kind of dish you make once and then find yourself craving every week. Get this one in the oven tonight, you will not regret it.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Powerful blender
- Large baking dish
- Baking tray
- Large pan
- Soak mushrooms according to pack instructions before starting
Ingredients
- 250g oat cream
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp brown rice miso paste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 200g button mushrooms
- 150g rigatoni pasta
- 50g chopped kale
- 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil for drizzling
Method
Make the sauce
- Soak the mushrooms for as long as it states on pack
- Once soaked, drain and place into a powerful blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients
- Blend until smooth and creamy
Cook the kale
- Place the kale on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil and a pinch of salt
- Place in the oven for 5-6 minutes until crispy, ensuring it doesn’t burn
Start the pasta base
- Peel and dice the onion and garlic
- Cut the mushrooms into slices
- Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil
- Once warm, add the diced onion, garlic and a pinch of salt
- Mix well and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion turns soft
- At this point, add the sliced mushrooms
- Mix well and cook until the mushrooms turn soft
- Once the mushrooms are cooked, pour the sauce into the pan, mix well and leave to cook for a few minutes to heat the sauce through
While the pasta base cooks, cook the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, cooking for 1 less minute than stated
- Once cooked, drain (saving a little of the pasta water) and spoon into the saucepan with the pasta
- Mix well until all of the pasta is coated in all of the sauce, adding a dash of pasta water as needed to create the consistency you like best
Bake the pasta
- Mix through the crispy kale before pouring everything into a baking dish
- Top with the panko breadcrumbs and a good drizzle of olive oil before baking in the oven for 5 minutes, or until golden
Tips & Variations
- Get the kale crispy: Keep a close eye on the kale in the oven, it can go from perfectly crispy to burnt pretty quickly. Five minutes is usually the sweet spot but every oven is different so check it early.
- Mushroom variety matters: We find that dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms give the sauce the most depth and flavour. Whatever you use, don't skip the soaking step, it's what makes the sauce so rich.
- Make it your own: This bake is brilliant with a handful of cooked lentils or white beans stirred into the pasta base if you want to bulk it out a bit more. Adds protein and makes it even more filling.
Why This Works
The real magic here is blending those soaked mushrooms straight into the sauce. It sounds simple but it gives you this incredibly creamy, umami-packed base without any dairy at all. Crisping the kale separately in the oven rather than just stirring it in keeps it from going soggy and adds a proper bit of texture to every bite.