Recipe: Broccoli Cheese Pasta Casserole

Broccoli Cheese Pasta Casserole

January 11, 2010 ·

Is there anything more homey than a big ol’ broccoli casserole? Perhaps it’s a sign of my “settling down”, now that I’m married with two kids and live in the suburbs (when did this happen?) but I’ve rediscovered casseroles in the past year or so. You’ll almost never see one on a restaurant menu but so many of us grew up with them on our dinner tables at home. When that shallow 13 x 9″ dish comes out of the oven, with errant strands of cheese baked onto the sides, I just know I’m in for a treat.

I’d actually describe this casserole as “mac & cheese with broccoli”. Steamed broccoli is tossed with spiral-y fusilli pasta in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce, topped with Parmesan and baked to bubbly deliciousness. I’m pretty sure I found this recipe on the side of a package of broccoli florets, although unfortunately I forgot to save enough of the original package to know for sure. Two good things I do know: 1) it tastes great alongside ham and 2) even a two-year-old will eat it.

Broccoli Cheese Pasta Casserole
From the Pasta Broccoli Cheese Bake recipe on a package of frozen broccoli florets

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 oz.) package fusilli pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter or margarine*
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 (14 oz.) packages frozen broccoli florets **

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large pot of boiling water add 2 teaspoons salt and one tablespoon olive oil. Add fusilli pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

Cook broccoli in microwave for 6 minutes. Drain any water.

In a large saucepan melt butter or margarine; stir in flour and milk and whisk until mixture boils and thickens. Add cheddar cheese, salt, garlic powder, nutmeg and thyme and stir until blended.

Add cooked broccoli and drained pasta to cheese sauce. Mix well. Spoon into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

* If you use unsalted butter, as I did, you may want to add more salt to the cheese sauce
** I used about 3 crowns of fresh broccoli

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Tags: broccoli, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pasta

Main, Pasta

7 Comments

By Melynda, January 12, 2010 @ 6:32 AM

This sounds so good, I love vegetables with pasta. Funny there can be too much pasta on a plate for me. Thanks, this will be cooked here.
Melynda´s last blog ..Monday night brights

[Reply]
By Maria, January 12, 2010 @ 12:37 PM

Comfort food at it’s best!

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By Lis, January 12, 2010 @ 2:47 PM

Would this work with skim milk? It looks perfect for dinner but all I have in the house is skim… am I looking at a trip to the store if I want this? Thanks!

[Reply]
Kathy Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Well…I’m always a little reluctant to use nonfat milk in recipes out of fear of losing some of the richness/creaminess. I used 2% and it worked fine – I think it’s probably best to use at least 2% here for a nice creamy-textured cheese sauce.

[Reply]
By Jennifer, January 13, 2010 @ 5:28 AM

YUM! I always love recipes that use fusilli pasta because the sauce tend to cling to it! This looks delicious!
Jennifer´s last blog ..COOKBOOKMANIA!: Lentil Soup with Sausage & Cabbage

[Reply]
By dani, January 18, 2010 @ 9:03 AM

i am totally in love with this blog! such a simple concept, but it is SO interesting and exciting. thanks for sharing

[Reply]
Kathy Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 9:36 AM
Thanks, Dani – so glad you like it!

[Reply]