Linguine Casserole - PUBLISHED

 I don't know where this comes from, but it's interesting, as a casserole.

1 - 2025-05-16 : Made this with leftover Bacon and Cheddar Pasta, augmented with fresh pasta, and it was really good. I can see just using fresh pasta because the goo is really tasty, AND I'm really curious to test out the limit of the type of used pasta I can use. The best part of this is that I now have a dish I can make with leftover pasta when there are many people.

2 - 2025-07-31 : Made this with plain linguine and it was a bit bland. It may be like the Fritella di Pasta Fritti and be better with leftover pasta instead of fresh. Nonetheless I will increase the salt to 1 tsp.

3 - 2025-08-05 : Leftover pasta with flavor is definitely the way to go. I made it again with the Bacon and Cheddar Pasta and it was really good.

4 - 2025-09-05 : Ok, this was weird, there was so much sauce that I added another 16oz of leftover pasta and there was still a bit too much sauce. But, it was also oh so good! The flavors were great. This time I used the Pasta in Butter Tomato Sauce. Until I figure out what's up with the sauce, I'm keeping this at Test 1.

5 - 2025-09-18 : Just plain pasta isn't enough. This was mostly plain pasta so I added some marinara sauce to it. Double the amount of cooked pasta is essential. I essentially repeated what I did last time, adding 2 Tbsps. marinara, so I'm graduating this to Test 2.

6 - 2025-09-24 : Jenna made it with cooked pasta I'd been accumulating in the freezer and it was delicious. Nik hummed and Ben danced in his chair. 32oz is definitely the way to go. It's very creamy and could hold more pasta, but the creamy is good enough that nobody was recommending more pasta. 

7 - 2025-10-01 : This was quick and easy and oh so good. I had a green salad on the side to balance the richness of the dish.

32oz leftover pasta (if using dry pasta, dry-to-cooked is roughly 1:2)

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided (80+80)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided (20+20g)

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp Salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

(if using plain pasta, add 2 Tbsps. to 1/4 cup tomato sauce or something else)

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta; drain and set aside. If you have leftover pasta to use, see NOTE
3. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until smooth.
4. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and milk, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat and add half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Season with herbs de Provence, nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Combine the sauce with the cooked linguine and toss to coat well. Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish.

NOTE: If you have leftover pasta, weigh it to subtract that amount from the dry pasta you'll cook to make up the difference. 1lb dry pasta = 455g, while 114g pasta = 4oz. Once cooked, this amount of pasta turns into 910g (2lbs), 228g (8oz).