If you’re after a simple yet incredibly tasty pasta bake recipe to add to your rotations, look no further. This pasta celebrates broccoli in the most delicious way possible! Follow me…
Roasted Broccoli Pasta Bake
Creamy cheesy goodness topped with a crunchy pasta bake topping, loaded with broccoli. Yep, broccoli. See, I do use vegetables on this blog! 😜 Look I’ll be honest with you here, I never used to be a massive fan of broccoli. I kinda made it my mission to fall in love with it because I knew I was missing out. Turns out I’ve been cooking it wrong all these years. So classic vegetable pasta bakes that include broccoli just chuck the florets in the water to cook with the boiling pasta right? Wrong. When I tell you that roasting broccoli will change your entire outlook on life, I’m not exaggerating.
Why roast the broccoli?
Beats Boiling – When you boil broccoli it tends to soak up and cling on to water. It then releases it when baked, resulting in a slightly watery sauce. Flavour – The caramelization you get from roasting broccoli just can’t be beaten by boiling/steaming! Extra Goodies – You can add in extra goodies in the roasting dish! Here I add red onion.
No more having an explosion of water in your mouth from where the broccoli florets soaked it all up. Just some beautifully crisp and tender broccoli, seasoned with salt, pepper and onion. YUM. Process shots: dice broccoli and add to baking dish (photo 1), add sliced red onion (photo 2), combine with salt & pepper and olive oil (photo 3), roast until fork tender/lightly charred (photo 4).
Cheesy Broccoli Pasta
Is a pasta bake really a pasta bake if you’ve not thrown in copious amounts of cheese? I mean, certainly not in my books anyway!
Best cheese for broccoli pasta bake?
Here I use Gruyere and Cheddar. Gruyere has got a gorgeous sweet and nutty flavour to it which pairs beautifully with creamy sauces AND broccoli.
Can I sub more Cheddar?
Cheddar broccoli pasta is a popular combo, so if for whatever reason you don’t have/want Gruyere just stick with cheddar. I recommend a good quality sharp cheddar for maximum flavour.
What kind of Pasta to use?
I LOVE Rigatoni for this recipe. The creamy sauce fills the middle of the pasta beautifully. In reality though you can use most kinds of short cut pasta though. Process shots: add butter and garlic to pan (photo 1), melt (photo 2), stir in flour (photo 3), whisk in milk and veg stock then add nutmeg and wholegrain mustard (photo 4), add cheese (photo 5), add broccoli/onion (photo 6), add pasta (photo 7), stir to combine (photo 8).
BEST Broccoli Pasta Bake
From there, it’s oven time. The pasta will be delicious as it is, but baking it in the oven is an absolute game changer!
Tips for the best broccoli pasta bake
Process shots: add pasta to baking dish (photo 1), cover with breadcrumbs, spray with oil then bake (photo 2).
Serving Broccoli Pasta Bake
I usually let it sit for a few mins for the bubbling to calm down, otherwise you risk taking the roof of your mouth off 🥵. This will offer 4 big portions or 5 smaller ones. I tend to serve it as it is because it’s so hearty! If you’re looking for more pasta bakes recipes then definitely check out my Veggie Pasta Bake, Chicken Pasta Bake, Taco Pasta Bake and Meatball Pasta Bake! For more similar recipe check out these beauties:
Delicious recipes using broccoli
Cheesy Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Bacon Broccoli Pesto Pasta Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this broccoli pasta bake recipe shall we?!
How to make Broccoli Pasta Bake (Full Recipe & Video)
If you plan on making the Broccoli Pasta Bake then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
