Cheese and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Updated May 15, 2025, Published Feb 01, 2022
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This comforting Cheese and Broccoli Pasta Bake will soon become a family favorite! Everyone loves the creamy, cheesy sauce, perfectly cooked broccoli, and crunchy topping with a hint of lemon to brighten the dish.
Why I love this broccoli pasta bake
When I need a comforting meal to bring everyone to the table, I often refer to this recipe. It is excellent for a weeknight meal or a Sunday dinner. You can assemble it a day in advance and bake and serve it the next day. It is an all-around great baked pasta meal!
- The incredibly smooth and cheesy sauce! It has just the right amount of provolone cheese with a hint of thyme and onion.
- Perfectly cooked pasta, no mushy pasta bakes here! And just the right amount of sauce.
- The crisp broccoli is perfectly cooked and not mushy.
- Delicious crispy topping with a hint of lemon to freshen and lighten your taste buds.
- Everyone will love this dinner. Even the kids who think they don’t like broccoli.
If you like baked pasta, you will also like Creamy Sausage Baked Ziti “White Baked Ziti”, Stuffed Lumaconi Pasta Recipe with Ricotta and Sausage, Cheese Sauce Pasta, or Baked Ham Cheese Pasta Bechamel Sauce. Try these broccoli pasta recipes: orecchiette with sausage and broccoli and Broccoli Pasta.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
Topping
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Lemon zest
- Freshly grated parmigiano cheese
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Baked Pasta
- Medium shell pasta
- Onion
- Butter, plus more for the pan
- Fresh thyme leaves
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Mild provolone cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Broccoli florets
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Broccoli Pasta Bake (Video)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest, parmigiano, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with the salt and set aside.
- For the pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or 4 minutes under the recommended cooking time (the pasta will be firm since it will continue to cook in the oven), then reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and drain. Set aside.
- Place a medium oven and stove top safe dish (braiser) over medium heat*. Heat butter in pan let it brown a little. Add the chopped onion and cook over a low heat until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add the flour to the onion and stir well, until you have a smooth paste. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add the cream and thyme seasoning and keep whisking. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer, whisking often. Turn heat to low/simmer and whisk in the provolone and mozzarella until melted and smooth—season with salt.
- Fold in the blanched pasta, reserved pasta water, and broccoli florets. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and extra lemon zest. Serve warm. Mangia!
FAQs
I love the texture and flakiness of the Panko break crumb variety. Panko has a light, airy, and delicate texture that helps it crisp as it cooks. If you don’t have Panko bread crumbs, you can substitute them for regular Italian breadcrumbs.
The crunchy toppings level this dish up a notch from regular baked pasta, but you can leave it off. You will want to add a thin layer or extra cheese to form a crust on the top. If you do not add topping, the pasta will dry out on the top layer.
Yes! You can absolutely add cooked chicken to this recipe before baking the final dish. In Italy we do not typically serve chicken mixed in with pasta, however, if you love chicken in this broccoli and cheese pasta bake you can add it!
Yes, you can make the whole thing a day in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge and bake when you are ready to serve it!
Technically, you can freeze this pasta.I don’t recommend that you do, though. It is one of those meals that tastes better fresh. If you decide to freeze it, wait until it cools, put it in a freezer-safe airtight container, and freeze for up to one month. Let it thaw in the fridge, and then reheat it in the microwave or in an oven-safe dish in the oven at 350 F for about 25 minutes until it is heated all the way through.
Top Tips
- For a clump-free and smooth white sauce, add the milk slowly and stir it in with a balloon whisk.
- Turn the heat to low when you add the cheese to the sauce so it doesn’t stick to the pan as it melts.
- Add pasta water to your sauce. This will help incorporate the sauce to the pasta.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. It should be just al dente. You don’t want it to turn to mush when it bakes in the oven!
- Make sure the broccoli is in small pieces. Since you aren’t cooking the broccoli ahead of time, you want the florets fairly small, so they cook until tender.
Variations
We love this delicious and comforting pasta just as it is! If you want to pack more protein or veggies, here are some options for you:
- Add some cooked ham
- Add cauliflower instead of broccoli
- Try sprinkling the top with cooked and crispy bacon
Creamy, cheesy and really tasty this Broccoli Pasta Bake is great for an easy weeknight dinner. With a crunchy cheesy topping, this will be your new favorite pasta bake!
You will love the crunchy topping made from bread crumbs, olive oil, parmigiano cheese, and lemon zest. It adds texture and unique flavor to this cheesy pasta dish. It also adds a sealing layer so the pasta bake stays moist and cheesy without drying out the top layer of the pasta.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover baked broccoli and cheese pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
This pasta bake is great as leftovers, and it reheats well. If you have any leftovers you can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven until it is piping hot.
Serving Suggestions
Italian Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
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Cheese and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Topping:
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, more for garnish
- ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Baked Pasta
- 1 pound medium shell pasta
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for the pasta water
- ¼ cup butter, ½ stick
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 cup grated mild provolone cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest, parmigiano, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with the salt and set aside.
- For the pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or 4 minutes under the recommended cooking time (the pasta will be firm since it will continue to cook in the oven), then reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and drain. Set aside.
- Place a medium oven and stove top safe dish (braiser) over medium heat*. Heat butter in pan let it brown a little. Add the chopped onion and cook over a low heat until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add the flour to the onion and stir well, until you have a smooth paste. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add the cream and thyme seasoning, keep whisking. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer, whisking often. Turn heat to low/simmer and whisk in the provolone and mozzarella until melted and smooth. Season with salt.
- Fold in the blanched pasta, reserved pasta water and broccoli florets. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and extra lemon zest. Serve warm. Mangia!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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