New England Pasta Bake

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 yellow onion, cut into medium dice
• 1 celery rib, cut into medium dice
• 2 carrots, cut into medium dice
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced (about 6 sprigs) or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 (6 1/2 ounce) cans chopped clams, juice drained and reserved
• 1 lb medium pasta shell
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Recipe

• 1 pre-heat the broiler. place a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil.
• 2 place a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons butter. add the onion, celery and carrots; season with salt and pepper and cook until tender but not caramelized, 5-6 minutes. add the potatoes, thyme, juice of the clams and 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and bring the liquids up to a bubble. cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
• 3 while the veggies are simmering, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente, according to the package directions. just before the pasta is ready, reserve a large mug of the starchy cooking water. drain the pasta and return it to the pan it was cooked inches.
• 4 while the veggies and pasta are cooking, place a medium size saucepot over medium heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for 1 minute. whisk the milk and 1 cup of starchy cooking water into the roux and bring up to a bubble. add the clams to the sauce; season with salt and pepper and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute. reserve warm.
• 5 when everything is ready, toss the cooked veggies and prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish.
• 6 sprinkle the breadcrumbs and grated cheese over the surface of the casserole and brown under the broiler.