Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the penne as per the packet instructions, then drain. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter and fry the leek and kale for 10 minutes or until the leaves are tender but still dark green and slightly firm.
300 g penne, 10 g butter, 2 leeks, 200 g kale
Stir in the cream cheese, smoked mackerel and horseradish sauce and heat for 1 minute.
340 g cream cheese, 400 g smoked mackerel fillets, 2 tablespoon horseradish sauce
Stir in the pasta and season with black pepper.
1 dash black pepper
Pour everything into an oven proof baking dish, scatter with breadcrumbs and cheese and grill until the top is crisp and golden.
100 g breadcrumbs, 50 g Cheddar Cheese
Notes
Tips
You can buy the fillets simply smoked or with added flavours such as smoked peppered mackerel, hot smoked, or even honey and soy flavoured. You can also use tinned mackerel.
I've used leeks and kale in this recipe, but you could also use onion in place of the leeks and green cabbage or spinach to replace the kale. Fresh spinach doesn't need cooking, just stir it into the pasta at stage 3 so it wilts down.
You can use any pasta shapes in a pasta bake.
For the topping, use a hard grated cheese such as cheddar or mozarella. Mozarella has a milder flavour.
Storage
Smoked mackerel fillets can be frozen for up to 3 months. They also keep well in the fridge for up to several weeks. Store the pasta bake in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container to prevent the smell of the fish leaking into the other food.You can prepare this pasta bake ahead of time and keep in the fridge. To re-heat, cover with foil and re-heat for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.