Baked Mac & Cheese with Broccoli

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I have tried making my own macaroni and cheese a few times and its always turned out just okay. So I have been on the lookout for a delicious but also not super fattening recipe for some time. 


I love the fact that this has broccoli in it since I love anything with broccoli. Of course, if you despise broccoli you could leave it out but I am not recommending it-as my mother says, you need green with every meal!


Let's get started:


Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook your pasta according to package instructions. You will be baking it afterwards so try to keep it just under al dente. 




You can add your broccoli to the pasta 3 minutes before its done or you can cook the broccoli on its own. I steamed mine for about 3 minutes in the microwave.


Melt butter in skillet on medium high and then add bread crumbs. 


Cook bread crumbs, stirring often for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. 




Remove from heat and combine with 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese. 




Whisk together milk and flour in deep skillet. [this is pre mixing just to clarify!]




Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. 




Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. It should be thick enough to stay on a spoon, kind of like a gravy. 




Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, mustard, salt and pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.  Don't be shy with any of these ingredients, I definitely added more salt. I think I added more cheese too just because I had grated too much. Taste the sauce to know what extra it needs. 




yum....


Pour sauce over cooked and drained pasta and broccoli. Toss to coat. 


Place pasta in baking dish and sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top. 




Bake at 375 for 20-25 or until bubbly. 




Dish it up & dig in!




Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli
slightly adapted weightwatchers.com recipe

Ingredients



12 oz uncooked pasta, gemelli or other twisted pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)   
1/8 tsp table salt, for pasta cooking water   

10 oz broccoli, small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)   
1 tsp butter   
1/3 cup(s) fresh bread crumbs   
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided   

2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk   
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour   
1/4 cup chopped onion if desired [I omitted]
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety   
1 tsp Dijon mustard [or dry mustard]
1 1/2 tsp table salt   
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

  • Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water according to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done [or cook broccoli separately and add in]; drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.

  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to a small bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and set aside.

  • In same saucepan (wipe clean if necessary), whisk together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

  • Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Pour over cooked, drained pasta and broccoli; toss to mix and coat.

  • Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Divide into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 piece per serving.

2 comments:

  1. Yum! I never thought to mix Parmesan with the bread crumbs - that sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stumbled upon your blog... Love your recipes! You have a new follower :)

    ReplyDelete

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