Recipes · Main dishes
Pasta Bake with Broccoli and Ham
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
A bake that gets by without a roux: the pasta is cooked just short of done and finishes in the oven in a custard of cream, milk and egg. The broccoli cooks for the last few minutes in the same pot as the pasta.
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) penne or rigatoni
- 400 g (14 oz) broccoli florets
- 150 g (5.3 oz) cooked ham diced
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- 200 g (7.1 oz) heavy cream
- 150 ml (5.1 fl oz) milk
- 2 eggs
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) shredded Gouda or Swiss cheese
- salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C), conventional (top and bottom heat), or 350 °F (180 °C) with convection. Grease a baking dish (about 9 × 12 in / 24 × 30 cm).
- Cook the pasta in salted water for about 3 minutes less than the package says. Add the broccoli florets to the water 3 minutes before the end. Drain everything well.
- Dice the onion and sauté it in the butter until translucent, then fry the ham with it for 2 minutes.
- Whisk the cream, milk and eggs together and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Combine the pasta, broccoli and the ham-and-onion mixture in the dish, pour the custard over it and sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the custard is set. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Tip: Cook the pasta al dente: it keeps cooking in the custard in the oven and turns too soft otherwise.
Tip: Without the ham this becomes a vegetarian dish. Make up for it with a little more cheese and a handful of peas.