Broccoli Cheese Pasta with Breadcrumbs Recipe

How To Prepare Broccoli Cheese Pasta with Breadcrumbs?

Ingredients:

• 2 x EUROPEAN BROCCOLI (450G) | NEW

• 300g short wholemeal pasta shapes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1.2 litres milk

• 1 bay leaf, scrunched up a little

• 60g butter

• 60g plain flour

• 200g cheddar, grated

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• 60g fresh brown breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil & cook the pasta until al dente – this will take a couple of minutes less than pack instructions. Halfway through the pasta cooking time, add the broccoli to the pan. Drain, then toss the pasta & broccoli in the oil to coat.
2. While the pasta & broccoli are cooking, bring the milk to a simmer with the bay leaf in a separate pan, then remove from the heat & set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour & whisk together. Reduce the heat to medium-low & cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often until combined & beginning to stick to the pan.
3. Whisk in the warm infused milk gradually, making sure there are no lumps, then reduce the heat to low & cook gently for 8-10 mins until the sauce is thickened & smooth. Remove from the heat & stir in three-quarters of the cheese, the mustard (you can add more, if you like), nutmeg, plenty of black pepper & some salt. Remove the bay leaf. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
4. Tip the cooked pasta and broccoli into a large baking dish and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.