Cheese and Broccoli Pasta Bake
This Cheese and Broccoli Pasta Bake is the definition of comfort food, loaded with a rich, creamy white sauce, broccoli, and melty cheese in every bite. Perfect for weeknights, this baked pasta is simple and guaranteed to be a hit.
Servings: 8 servings
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
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 712kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1761IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 448mg | Iron: 2mg
