Macaroni Cheese and Broccoli Bake
A pasta bake is not only delicious, but it is a great standby supper with kids. The creamy cheesy sauce is rish and the crunchy herby topping is a winner. I actually use both this sauce and topping in lots of other dishes too. I hope this macaroni cheese gratin will become a family favourite for you too.
This is a recipe where you can add in some other vegetables: in this version I add broccoli and cauliflower. If you have a child that is really sensitive to colour then just add the paler cauliflower, which is highly nutritious and a great source of vitamins and fibre. Depending on the age of the children you are cooking for you can break these up into tiny florets, or larger ones. Just ensure that the pasta and vegetable florets are sized in a way that is not a choking hazard for smaller children.
I recommend making batch cooking this recipe and freezing some extra portions. You can then just bake off the extra frozen gratins, when you need supper on the table fast (we all have those days). If you use a ceramic dish remember to defrost in your fridge 24 hours before baking, as a rapid change in temperature may crack your dish.
150g macaroni pasta
300g mixture of broccoli/ cauliflower florets
30g unsalted butter
30g plain flour
350ml milk (of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
1/2 teaspoon mustard (optional)
a few grinds of black pepper (optional)
90g cheddar cheese
Crunchy Herb Topping ~
2 slices of bread
20g fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat the oven 180C fan oven
Cook the macaroni, according to the packet instructions (less 1 minute so al dente). Cook the broccoli and cauliflower florets for 2-3 mins (cooked but crunchy). Drain the pasta and vegetables.
For the cheese sauce ~ take a pot melt the butter, add the flour and combine into a paste. Cook out for 1-2 mins, next add the milk (room temperature) and whisk continually. Slowly add the milk to the flour and butter mix), to form a white sauce. Once all the milk is incorporated, you should have a glossy white sauce. Take off the heat. Add the flavourings (optional): paprika, mustard, black pepper and cheddar cheese. Combine through the sauce.
Fold the pasta, broccoli and cauliflower through the sauce. Pour the pasta, vegetables and cheese sauce into an oven proof dish (es)
To make the topping ~ blitz the bread, parsley and olive oil in a blender: top the pasta bakes
Cook in a hot oven: for 20 mins approx until bubbling and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool, the bake is now ready to serve. There are plenty of vegetables in the gratin but this is lovely served alongside with a crunchy side salad.
