Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta Casserole

I think this is my new fall comfort food.  I'm not even kidding.

One of my favorite combinations is pasta, asparagus, and goat cheese, (what isn't good with goat cheese), and adding smoked salmon just made it better.  The nice thing about this dish is that although it has a cream sauce, it's healthy because the cream sauce is made out of potatoes and cauliflower!  And don't worry, it doesn't taste like a vegan who's trying too hard.

For the casserole base:
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)
Salt & pepper
White wine
3 cups 'Cream' Sauce
Chicken Stock
10 oz. asparagus, lightly blanched
8 oz. smoked salmon, cut into ½" pieces
1 ½ lb. cooked fusilli pasta
4 oz. Quattro Formagio cheese blend from Trader Joe's, or your favorite stretchy cheese
5 oz. Goat cheese

For the 'Cream' Sauce:
(This will make more than you need, but it's a great sauce to have on-hand.)
1 russet potato, peeled & boiled
1 cauliflower, boiled
5 oz. Goat cheese
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP white wine
1 lemon, juiced
2 TBSP cream
1 TBSP sugar
Salt & pepper to tasteChicken Stock

Put all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend into a thick, creamy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken stock as needed to achieve the correct consistency.



Now onto the casserole base.

Preheat a large pan coated in olive oil.  When the oil begins to sizzle, add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion turns a light golden brown.

Add the mushrooms and thyme along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a large splash of white wine.  Sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown and meaty in texture.

Add the 'cream' sauce to the mushrooms, adding chicken stock as needed to achieve a pourable yet creamy consistency.  Once the sauce begins to bubble, turn off the heat.

Cut off the bottom third of the asparagus, leaving the top two-thirds intact.  Chop the bottom third into small, quarter-inch pieces.

In a large casserole dish coated in olive oil, mix together the pasta, smoked salmon, and chopped asparagus ends.

Pour the mushroom/sauce mixture over the pasta, making sure it spreads evenly.

Arrange the leftover asparagus on the top of the pasta and sauce, then sprinkle with the Quattro Formagio cheese and crumble on the Goat cheese.

Bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes, or until the goat cheese is melted and browned and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve a large scoop of this casserole alongside a salad or steamed veggies.  Trust me, the minute you this, you'll be craving it all day every day!

To see more of my pictures you can find me on Instagram at @audreygracephotography.