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Roasted Brocolli Pasta Bake in a white oven dish
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Roasted Brocolli Pasta Bake

This is comfort food at it's best, saucy pasta with a crunchy, cheesy topping
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: brocolli bake, easy pasta bake, roasted brocolli pasta bake
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2&1/2 cups pasta penne or rigatoni
  • salt

Roasted Brocolli

  • 1 x250gram brocolli head cut into small florets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • salt
  • pepper

Cheese Sauce

  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp cake wheat flour or all purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
  • 1/4 cup parmesan grated
  • salt
  • pepper

Topping

  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup cheddar grated
  • 2 tbsp parmesan grated

Instructions

Roasted Brocolli

  • Chop the brocolli into small florets and rinse well. Mix in the other ingredients, oil, chilli flakes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread on an ovenproof dish and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, the edges will be slightly charred

Pasta

  • Boil the pasta as per package instructions. Cook until al dente, reserve 1/4 cup of water, drain and set aside

Cheese Sauce

  • Place the butter in a pan. Once melted add the onion and cook until soft and translucent
  • Add the garlic and fresh thyme and cook for a minute
  • Add the flour and mix until it resembles a smooth paste, about a minute.
  • Slowly add the milk and use a whisk to stir, this will prevent any lumps. Once all the milk is added allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens. Stir in the mustard. Add the 1/4 cup of pasta water and combine well. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside

Topping

  • Mix 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs with 1 cup cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoon parmesan. Set aside

Layering the pasta bake

  • Mix the pasta and roasted brocolli in an ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over and mix. Sprinkle the panko breadcrumb mixture over. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
  • You can turn on the grill function in the last 5 minutes if you prefer a little more golden brown topping

Notes

  1. I used low fat milk for the sauce but you could use fat free or full fat milk if you prefer
  2. You can reduce the cheese if you wish, but I think you need all of it
  3. I added a chilli to my sauce for an extra kick, I didn't add it to my recipe because it may not work for everyone. You can add it if you wish