Fall Vegetables and Fusilli

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

122 people added this to their Recipe Box

This recipe makes 8 servings

Enjoy our comfy pasta and chick-pea casserole as a vegetarian supper or for lunch. For a nonvegetarian version, replace vegetable stock with chicken stock and add chopped smoked turkey, ham, pastrami, or drained salmon or tuna in chunks.

Ingredients

3 cups fusilli pasta 3 3cups cupsfusilli pasta
1/4 cup butter 1/4 1/4cup cupbutter
1 cup chopped onions 1 1cup cupchopped oniononions
4 minced cloves garlic 4 4minced cloves garlic
1-1/2 cups diced carrots 1-1/2 1-1/2cups cupsdiced carrotcarrots
1 cup chopped celery 1 1cup cupchopped celery
2 cups quartered mushrooms 2 2cups cupsquartered mushroommushrooms
2 cups cubed zucchinis 2 2cups cupscubed zucchinizucchinis
1 diced large sweet red pepper 1 1diced large sweet red peppersweet red peppers
1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 1/4cup cupall purpose flour
2 tsp dry mustard 2 2tsp tspdry mustard
2 tsp dried thyme 2 2tsp tspdried thyme or dried basil
1-1/2 tsp salt 1-1/2 1-1/2tsp tspsalt
1-1/2 tsp pepper 1-1/2 1-1/2tsp tsppepper
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock 1-1/2 1-1/2cups cupsvegetable stock
2 cups milk 2 2cups cupsmilk
1 1can (19 oz/540 ml) can (19 oz/540 ml)drained chick peas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 2 2cups cupsshredded Cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs 1-1/2 1-1/2cups cupssoft bread crumbs
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley 1/2 1/2cup cupminced fresh parsley

Preparation

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook fusilli for about 8 minutes or until tender but firm. Drain, rinse under cold running water and set aside. Meanwhile, in large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes, stirring.

Add mushrooms, zucchini and red pepper; cook for about 5 minutes longer or until softened. Stir in flour, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add stock, stirring, and milk to make creamy sauce. Bring to simmer; cook for 5 minutes. Add chick-peas and fusilli. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish. (Dish can be made ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw before continuing and add 10 minutes to baking time.)

In bowl, toss together cheese, bread crumbs and parsley. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for about 45 minutes or until crusty on top and bubbly.