Equipment
Ingredients
Produce
- 300 g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 300 g waxy potatoes, peeled and 1.5cm diced
- 2 garlic cloves, bruised
- 20 fresh sage leaves
Pasta and Dairy
- 400 g wholewheat tortiglioni
- 250 g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- 50 g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, finely grated
- 80 g unsalted butter
Pantry Staples
- 15 ml olive oil
- 10 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1140 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbohydrates
- 147 g
- Fat
- 45 g
- Fiber
- 17 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1523 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 24 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 49 mg
- Potassium
- 1610 mg
- Calcium
- 812 mg
- Iron
- 6.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 221 mg
- Phosphorus
- 990 mg
- Zinc
- 6.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 334 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 59 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 145 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.27 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.14 mg
- Niacin
- 3.2 mg
- Folate
- 115 mcg
- Water
- 77 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly grease the large baking dish with a small amount of butter or oil.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the diced waxy potatoes and cook for 5 minutes to give them a head start.
Add the wholewheat tortiglioni directly into the boiling water alongside the potatoes. Cook until the pasta is 2 minutes shy of al dente according to package directions. Drain thoroughly using a colander.
While the pasta boils, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halved Brussels sprouts cut-side down, season with a pinch of the kosher salt and black pepper, and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until deeply browned. Toss and cook for 3 more minutes, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Wipe the large skillet briefly to remove any loose sprout leaves, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the unsalted butter. Once melted, add the bruised garlic cloves and fresh sage leaves. Cook for about 3 minutes until the butter foams, milk solids toast to a nutty brown, and the sage becomes crispy. Discard the garlic cloves.
To the large mixing bowl containing the Brussels sprouts, add the hot, drained pasta and potatoes. Pour half of the sage brown butter over the mixture. Add half of the grated gruyere and half of the vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, tossing everything gently to combine evenly.
Transfer the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top the surface evenly with the remaining gruyere and parmesan-style cheeses. Drizzle the rest of the sage butter and arrange the crispy sage leaves attractively on top.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before serving so the residual moisture can absorb and the cheese can set slightly.
Chef's Notes
- Browning the butter (beurre noisette) amplifies the inherent nutty notes of the wholewheat pasta and pairs beautifully with the earthy, slightly bitter edge of the Brussels sprouts.
- Traditional gruyere cheese is made using animal rennet. To ensure this dish remains strictly vegetarian, carefully check the cheese label for microbial or plant-based rennet.
- For the absolute best texture, insist on using waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Charlotte. Starchy potatoes like Russets will break down and turn into a mash during boiling and mixing.
- Do not skip discarding the garlic from the butter. Bruising the cloves extracts their sweet, aromatic oils without leaving bitter, overcooked garlic bits in the delicate brown butter.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze before the final baking step for best results. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Reheating: Cover with foil and reheat in a 175°C (350°F) oven until warmed through, or microwave individual portions in 45-second bursts.
Troubleshooting
Pasta becomes mushy and loses its structural integrity after baking.
Cause: Pasta was boiled to full al dente or beyond before being subjected to the oven heat.
Fix: Cannot be fixed texturally once baked, but topping with toasted panko breadcrumbs can add a necessary contrasting crunch to rescue the mouthfeel.
Prevention: Always undercook the pasta by 2 to 3 minutes during the boiling phase since it will absorb ambient moisture and continue cooking in the oven.
Brussels sprouts steamed instead of browning.
Cause: The pan was overcrowded or the heat was too low, trapping moisture.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once mixed into the pasta, but the high-heat bake will help dry out excess surface moisture.
Prevention: Use a sufficiently large skillet, do not stir them immediately, and sear in batches if necessary.
Cultural Context
This hearty bake draws heavy inspiration from Pizzoccheri, a rustic and ancient Alpine dish from the Valtellina valley in Northern Italy. While the traditional regional recipe layers flat buckwheat pasta with Savoy cabbage, potatoes, and local Casera cheese, this modern fusion adaptation utilizes robust wholewheat tortiglioni and deeply seared Brussels sprouts. The quintessential mountain pairing of tender potatoes, pungent alpine cheese, and sage butter honors the soul-warming culinary traditions designed to sustain farmers through bitter mountain winters.
