Baked Three-Cheese Pasta with Parsley Pesto and Shrimp

By Stina

Ingredients

• 12 ounces cavatappi
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk, heated
• fine sea salt
• freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1 cup grated Fontina
• 1 cup grated Gruyère
• 1 cup grated Parmesan plus 1/4 cup for topping
• 1/4 cup parsley pesto, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• chopped parsley, for garnish

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from kitchendaily.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook cavatappi according to package directions in liberally salted water. Cut shrimp into bite-size chunks.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thick roux forms, about 2 minutes. Whisk in hot milk and cook, constantly whisking, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix in cheeses and pesto. Combine with cooked pasta and shrimp.

Spread mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle over top. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. To brown top, set under broiler for no more than 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Parsley Pesto

1 bunch parsley, stems removed

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup olive oil

coarse sea salt

Add parsley and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined. Drizzle in oil and process until smooth. Season with salt. Leftover pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or frozen in a resealable plastic bag. Yield: 1 cup.