A nourishing midweek dinner that guarantees empty plates. It’s so creamy and luxurious, it’s hard to believe that it’s also high in fibre and low in saturated fat and salt. We love how the edges go crispy when the pasta bakes – yum.
A nourishing midweek dinner that guarantees empty plates. It’s so creamy and luxurious, it’s hard to believe that it’s also high in fibre and low in saturated fat and salt. We love how the edges go crispy when the pasta bakes – yum.
Typical nutritional content (per portion)
200g dried penne or fusilli wholewheat pasta
1 large onion
1 leek
200g mushrooms
1 large head of broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
Creamy sauce:
5 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons olive oil
800ml low-fat milk or fortified plant-based alternative
4 springs of parsley
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
80g reduced-fat white cheddar cheese, grated
Topping:
80g wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon flaked almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, slightly al dente, drain and rinse in the sink under cold water to stop the pasta cooking and sticking together.
Chop the onions and leek, finely chop the mushrooms and cut the broccoli into small bite-sized florets.
While the pasta is cooking, cook the veg and start the creamy sauce. For the creamy sauce, in a non-stick pot heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Whisk the flour into the oil, stirring continuously until golden – this is called a roux. Gradually add the milk slowly to the roux, whisking continuously. Then add the parsley, Bay leaf, pepper and nutmeg. Continue to whisk until it has reached the desired degree of thickness, remove the Bay leaf and parsley from the sauce, remove from the heat, taste and season if needed.
For the vegetables, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat, add the onion and leek and cook for 4 minutes until they are nicely softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are reduced. Add the broccoli florets and water, then cover tightly and steam until broccoli is just cooked – about 7 minutes.
Mix the pasta, creamy sauce and cooked veg mixture, transfer to an oven proof dish, smoothing out the surface slightly.
Mix all the topping ingredients together well and scatter over the pasta bake. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the crumb top is golden brown.