Monday, July 27, 2020

Mac'n Cheese with Broccoli



When I wrote the first part of my "Pandemic Food" posts, some of you asked for the recipe of the Broccoli Mac'n Cheese. 

I found this recipe about 30 years ago during a visit to England. It was one of many lovely recipes in a cookbook that was called "The Dairy Cookbook" if I remember correctly. I don't have that cookbook anymore - I got rid of a lot of things when we moved to the States - but this recipe had become such a favorite in my family that I don't need a recipe anymore.

You will need:


one package of Penne pasta
one head of broccoli, cut into florets only
one package of cubed Pancetta, about 4 oz (optional)
300 ml milk
25 g butter
25 g flour
one or two handfuls of shredded cheese (I use Swiss cheese and Gruyère from Trader Joe's)
paprika, salt and pepper
breadcrumbs


Preheat the oven to 400 F
Cook the Penne pasta in boiling salted water according to directions on the package. For the last 4-5 minutes add the broccoli florets. Drain and put in an ovenproof dish. If you want to add the cubed pancetta, you will do it now.
Bring the milk with the butter and the flour to a boil, stirring often. Let the milk boil for a minute, then add paprika (I use quite a lot of that, but perhaps start out with a teaspoon or two), freshly ground pepper and a little bit of salt (remember that cheese already contains quite some salt). Now it's time to add the cheese - I'm usually quite generous with it. It really depends how you like it best. Pour the sauce over the pasta and broccoli. Top it off with some breadcrumbs.
Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.


When the top is golden brown, it's time to bring the broccoli man'n cheese to the table! Be careful - it will be quite hot - better let it cool slightly for five minutes or so.

If you ever make it, let me know. I'm also interested if you do any variations.

Enjoy!








8 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Sieht wunderbar aus! Dir eine gute Woche, Bleib gesund! Valerie

Elephant's Child said...

It looks and sounds good. And readily adaptable for personal tastes. I would probably add some finely diced onion and garlic.

Iris Flavia said...

Kann ich bitte vorbeikommen?
Ohne Witz: Geht auch in der Pfanne? Hmmm, ich versuch das demnächst! (Hatte mal Mac´n Cheese als Fertigpackung von ALDI.... ihhhh)...

Jeanie said...

Oh Carola, this looks so good! I think I need to get me some pancetta and make this one. It looks yum!

Red Rose Alley said...

I enjoy your food posts, Carola. You are such a good cook. The mac and cheese looks delicious. You know, it's hard to find a good mac and cheese at the store, and your homemade one looks really good. I love the penne pasta, and sometimes I add a spaghetti sauce to it. I think the broccoli adds something to your dish too.

~Sheri

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Not only does this look delicious, Carola, but it's healthy too because it has broccoli, right? OK you don't have to answer that but we will say it is because it also has dairy. I have made mac 'n cheese and included ham which is close to pancetta which I will try it with the next time. And, there will be a next time!

Lowcarb team member said...

Looks delicious.

I like a Cauliflower Broccoli 'Macaroni' and Cheese, it's low carb!
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2017/12/cauliflower-broccoli-macaroni-and.html

All the best Jan

DeniseinVA said...

This looks delicious! I will definitely bookmark it. Thanks for sharing!