Pasta gratin is my favorite meal to make for special occasions and for a quick dinner.
Gratin is definitely one of my go-to dishes for special occasions. It seems fancy and is a delicious meal that feeds many while being so easy and cheap to make. Most of these ingredients are pantry or fridge staples, the other ingredients depend on how you want to make it to your tastes. The basic pasta gratin consists of pasta, bechamel, and sauteed onions, topped with cheese and baked until golden and bubbly. Even this alone is such a satisfying quick meal. However, to customize the gratin more to you, we can add in other ingredients that will shape the flavor of the gratin to suit your own preferences. Any protein, vegetable, or meat can be added into the gratin. It’s also great for quickly using up vegetables or protein that you’ve had for a while. That is one of my favorite things about gratin. You can just throw it all together and have a filling, satisfying meal.
COMPONENTS OF GRATIN
- ☆ Base: Bechamel sauce mixed with pasta, topped with cheese and baked. Some bechamel recipes call for only milk, and some only cream. In this recipe, I use a mix of both.
- ☆ Add-ins: You can use any protein or vegetables you have on hand. My personal favorite ingredients to add to gratin are chicken, shrimp, broccoli, sauteed onion, spinach, and kabocha. The possibilities are pretty endless when it comes to gratin. Just remember that whatever you add in, we will have to cook accordingly before mixing into the sauce.
MATERIALS
- ☆ Baking dish (about 20cm x 13cm x 5cm or 8in x 5in x 1.75in)
- This is a recommendation, but any size and number of baking dishes work
INGREDIENTS (+ SUBSTITUTIONS)
This is a basic list and explanation of the key ingredients. For full list and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe below!
- ☆Salted butter
- I used salted butter because when you mix in the pasta and other ingredients later, the overall dish becomes less salty. I usually make the bechamel sauce a bit saltier than I like so it balances it out at the end. You may use unsalted butter instead, just make sure to taste as you go to make sure it’s seasoned to your liking!
- ☆Cake flour
- Cake flour is starchier which will help the sauce thicken up more compared to all-purpose or bread flour. You can use all-purpose flour instead, or use 26g all-purpose flour and 4g cornstarch.
- ☆Milk
- I used whole milk because of its higher fat content, but any milk will work. As long as you cook it until reduced and thick, it should be fine.
- ☆Heavy cream
- Added for additional creaminess and thickness. Alternatively, you can use heavy cream in place of the milk earlier, but keep in mind that cream has a slightly sweeter taste.
- ☆Bouillon powder
- Bouillon adds savoriness to the sauce. You can use vegetable bouillon to make this sauce vegetarian.
- ☆Pasta
- Short pastas such as penne, rigatoni, macaroni, etc. work best.
- ☆Vegetables and Protein
- Any you have on hand. Just make sure to cook it accordingly before mixing in sauce.
- ☆Mozzarella
- For topping before baking. Other white cheeses that melt like mozzarella such as provolone, white cheddar, havarti, etc. work as well! Vegan mozzarella cheeses also work! My favorite is Trader Joe’s cashew cheese mozzarella style shreds.
TIPS FOR MAKING GRATIN
- ☆ When making the sauce make sure the milk is cold! The cooked roux is hot, so we add cold milk. This will prevent the sauce from becoming lumpy. Mix well after each incremental addition, and this will help prevent lumps as well.
- ☆ The pasta and mixed ingredients shouldn’t be runny when you add it to the baking dish. To prevent this, make sure every component is properly drained of excess moisture.
MORE PASTA RECIPES! ♡
If you recreate this Gratin recipe, please let me know by tagging me or leaving a comment on Instagram @maruryouri or TikTok @atsuryouri. I’d love to see your creations and hear your feedback!
Gratin
Pasta gratin is my favorite meal to make for special occasions and for when I need to make a quick dinner. Super satisfying and great to use up any meat or vegetables I have in my fridge.
Ingredients
- 30 g salted butter
- 30 g cake flour
- 350 ml milk
- 50 ml heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ onion
- 50 g short pasta
- Any protein or vegetable of your choice
- Mozzarella cheese for topping
Instructions
- Start by making the bechamel sauce. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, sift in the cake flour, creating the roux. Mix around vigorously to ensure that the flour is evenly distributed and cooks evenly. Keep mixing around until the flour is completely cooked and it turns a light golden brown.
- Gradually add in the cold milk. Add the milk bit by bit, stirring after each pour to prevent lumps. It will get pretty solid and look like mashed potatoes, but trust the process and keep pouring and mixing.
- Once the sauce is smooth and thick, add the heavy cream, bouillon powder, salt, and pepper. Mix to fully incorporate and set aside.
- Now, prepare the add-in ingredients. In a medium sized shallow pan, heat some neutral oil. The amount of oil you use depends on the amount of ingredients you will add. For a basic gratin, about a teaspoon of oil will be enough to cook the onions. Sprinkle the onions with a little bit of salt and pepper, and saute until they start to turn translucent and start to lightly brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Optional: Depending on what ingredients you want to add in, this step will take a little longer. If you wish to add other vegetables, feel free to cook with or in the same method as the onions. I added in broccoli when the onions just started to turn translucent to let the vegetables cook together, but I removed the cooked onions and broccoli when I added the spinach to let them cook by themselves. However you do this is completely up to you. I will recommend, however, that if you add meat, cook it in the pan before adding the onions or cook it in a separate pan completely. Remember to season these ingredients with salt and pepper as well. Once cooked to your liking, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook your pasta very al dente according to the package. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so we don’t want it to get too soft. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Now we can start to assemble the components of the gratin. Simply add the onions, pasta, and other ingredients into the saucepan with the sauce. Mix to combine evenly. Depending on the ingredients you used or the size of the saucepan, it may be easier to combine all of these in a large bowl.
- Coat the inside of a deep baking dish with unsalted butter. Scoop the gratin mixture into the dish, and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 430°F/220°C for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and is bubbly. You can top with some parsley to garnish, and the gratin is done! 完成です！