Broccoli & Leek Pasta Bake

This recipe is another that we’ve been enjoying for a while. It’s one of those dishes that is wholesome and delicious - but almost feels healthy because it has greens in it? Perfect for large groups and reheating for lunch, too. Serves 4, or more, if you up the pasta.

Ingredients

400g pasta, I use a mix of fresh penne & rigatoni

1 broccoli, roughly chopped

2 leeks, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 red onion, sliced

1 litre of milk

1 bay leaf

A large knob of butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp plain flour

250g cheddar, grated

3 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp nutmeg

1 tbsp dried thyme

100g breadcrumbs

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180 fan. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat, before adding the garlic and red onion. Fry for a minute or two before adding the leeks and thyme. Once soft, after a few minutes, take off the heat and set aside. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the broccoli (and dried pasta, if not using fresh). After 5 or 6 minutes, add the pasta to the same pan for a minute or two, before draining, returning to the pan, and coating with a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the leek mixture.

Next, the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour slowly and whisk together until combined. Reduce the heat, and slowly add the milk gradually, and stirring regularly, until there are no lumps. Add the bay leaf, and allow to simmer on a very low heat for around 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken a little and look creamy. Once thickened, remove the bay leaf and stir in most of the cheese, mustard, nutmeg, a good crack of black pepper and large pinch of salt.

Tip the pasta, broccoli and leek mixture into a large ovenproof dish and pour over the cheesy sauce. Top the pasta with the remaining cheese and then breadcrumbs, and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!