Quick Info

  • Servings: 4 generous ones
  • Total time: about 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Prep: 15 minutes
  • Cooking: 45–50 minutes
  • Resting: 5 minutes
  • Tools: 20 × 30 cm (8 × 12 in) baking dish, at least 5 cm (2 in) deep, large pot, large bowl or a second pot to catch the broth, small saucepan and whisk for the béchamel, colander

Ingredients

Pasta and veggies

  • Pennette rigate (small ridged penne): 400 g (14.1 oz)
  • Zucchini: 330 g (11.6 oz)
  • Carrots: 230 g (8.1 oz)
  • Water:
    • for the broth: 1 liter (4.2 cups)
    • for the pasta: 1 liter (4.2 cups)
  • Vegetable bouillon granules: the amount for 2 liters of water given on the package (or a bouillon cube)
  • Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
  • Coarse salt: 1 scant teaspoon, only if needed (the broth is already salty)

Plant-based béchamel

  • Oat milk (unsweetened): 670 ml (22.6 fl oz)
  • Olive oil: 50 g (1.8 oz)
  • All-purpose flour: 50 g (1.8 oz)
  • Fine salt: 2 g (0.1 oz)
  • Nutmeg: 6 passes on the grater (or a pinch off the tip of a teaspoon, if ground)
  • Black pepper: 6 turns of the pepper mill
  • Grated cheese: 3 tablespoons (I use Grattì)

For the topping

  • Grated cheese: 2 tablespoons (I use Grattì)
  • Breadcrumbs: 3 tablespoons
  • Extra virgin olive oil: 2 teaspoons
Pasta, carrot and zucchini gratin served in a pink pasta bowl

Method

Cook the veggies in the broth

  1. Bring 1 liter (4.2 cups) of water to a boil in the large pot and stir in the vegetable bouillon granules, using the amount on the package. Don’t add salt.

  2. While the water heats up, prep the veggies: wash 330 g (11.6 oz) of zucchini and 230 g (8.1 oz) of carrots, peel the carrots and dice everything, the carrots into roughly 1 cm (0.4 in) cubes and the zucchini into roughly 1.5 cm (0.6 in) cubes.

  3. Cook the carrots in the broth for 4 minutes at a gentle boil, then add the zucchini and keep going for another 3–4 minutes. Check with a fork: the veggies should be tender but not falling apart.

  4. Drain the veggies over a bowl or another pot, so you keep the broth for the pasta. Set aside 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) of it in a mug and let the veggies drain for 5 minutes.

Make the béchamel

  1. Warm 670 ml (22.6 fl oz) of oat milk in a small saucepan, without letting it boil. Meanwhile, heat 50 g (1.8 oz) of olive oil in a second pot over medium-low heat.

  2. Make the roux: add 50 g (1.8 oz) of all-purpose flour to the oil and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes, until smooth and pasty but not browned or dry.

  3. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking as you go so no lumps form. Season with 2 g (0.1 oz) of fine salt, 6 passes of nutmeg on the grater (or a pinch off the tip of a teaspoon) and 6 turns of the pepper mill, then let it thicken over medium-low heat, still stirring, until the béchamel coats the back of a spoon. It should stay runny.

  4. Turn off the heat and add 3 tablespoons of grated cheese, stirring until it’s completely melted in. Taste.

Cook the pennette

  1. Stretch the broth: pour the broth you saved back into the large pot, add 1 liter (4.2 cups) of water and bring to a boil. Add the bouillon granules for that extra liter, then taste and adjust the salt: the broth is already salty (even more so if you use a cube), so add 1 scant teaspoon of coarse salt at most.

  2. Add 400 g (14.1 oz) of pennette rigate and stir right away. Set a timer for 3 minutes less than the cooking time on the package.

  3. Taste a pennetta before draining: it should still have some bite, but not be hard in the middle. Drain the pasta without rinsing it. If you like, keep the cooking broth for something else.

Put the gratin together

  1. Turn the oven on to 180°C (356°F), conventional (not convection), and tip the pennette back into the pot you cooked them in, or into a very large bowl.

  2. Dress the pasta: add the veggies and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and toss gently to spread them out. Add about ¾ of the béchamel and stir until every pennetta is well coated.

  3. Check the texture: the pasta should be really creamy, with a little béchamel pooling at the bottom. If it’s too thick, add the broth you set aside, 30 ml (1 fl oz) at a time.

  4. Fill the baking dish: spread a thin layer of the remaining béchamel over the bottom, add the pasta and level it out without pressing it down. Pour all the rest of the béchamel on top, especially into the corners and along the edges, where the pasta tends to dry out.

  5. Add the topping: sprinkle the surface with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese and 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, then drizzle 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil over the top.

Bake

  1. Bake at 180°C (356°F), conventional, on the middle rack for 20–25 minutes, until the béchamel starts to bubble gently around the edges and the top takes on some color. Check a pennetta in the center of the dish: if it’s still too firm, bake for another 5 minutes, covering with foil if the top is already golden.

  2. If you want a crispier crust, turn on the broiler (grill) at 200°C (392°F) for 2–3 minutes, moving the dish to the top rack and keeping an eye on the breadcrumbs so they don’t burn.

  3. Take it out and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving, so the béchamel can settle.

Freshly baked dish of pasta, carrot and zucchini gratin with a golden, crispy top