How’s that for a title? Sometimes I find it so hard to create a recipe title that effectively communicates all of the great elements in a dish that isn’t a paragraph long. So sometimes they are a paragraph long. And it made me really happy to see that Martha does it too. This Baked Pasta and Broccoli with Ham and Cheesy-Creamy Cauliflower Sauce recipe was in this month’s Martha Stewart Living Magazine. It caught my eye because I’m always looking for ways to be sneaky and slip extra veggies into family meals. This one has cauliflower pureed right into the creamy cheesy sauce and you will have absolutely no idea it’s in there. It’s also made with nonfat milk and packed with a whole head of not only cauliflower but broccoli too. Use a multigrain pasta and you’ve got a healthy, hearty, comforting meal in no time.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Cauliflower – Cauliflower isn’t my favorite vegetable; I couldn’t eat it raw to save my life, but I’ve found several ways to cook it that I really love and one of them is like this, pureed into a sauce.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Shallots – Sweet onions would work as well.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Skim milk
- Ground nutmeg
- Pecorino cheese – If you’ve never used Pecorino before, it’s really yummy. It’s similar to Parmesan, but with a slightly stronger flavor. The benefit of using a strong flavored cheese is that it allows you to use a little less and still have the flavor come through in the dish. We’re using the whole wedge here though, so it’s not like we’re hurtin’ for cheese! If you can’t find Pecorino, or it’s too expensive, you could sub Parmesan and this would still be good. I’d recommend using a fresh Parmesan that you grate yourself for best results.
- Multigrain pasta shells – Or pasta of choice.
- Smoked ham – I just grabbed some sliced smoked ham from the deli department and asked him to slice it a little thicker than a normal sandwich slice. You could also use a diced/cubed ham, but cutting up sliced lets you use less and have it go further.
- Broccoli – Fresh broccoli, cut into florets.
- Panko bread crumbs – Optional, for topping.
How to Make Baked Pasta with Broccoli and Ham
- First sauté some cauliflower, shallots, and garlic. Since cauliflower doesn’t have very much moisture at all, your pan might get a little dry. You can add a little more oil, or I added a little water several times to make sure it wasn’t sticking to the pan.
- After it softens a bit, sprinkle in just a little flour and then pour in some nonfat milk and bring things to a simmer.
- While your cauliflower and milk are simmering away, you can start bringing a pot of water to boil for your pasta and get that cooked. Also, chop up a head of broccoli and dice up some sliced ham.
- When your cauliflower is nice and tender (we’re talking super soft- you want it to puree) remove it from the heat to let it cool off just a bit, and grate some Pecorino cheese.
- Pour your milk and cauliflower into a blender and add half the cheese. Puree it until it’s really smooth and then pour the sauce onto your pasta. Then add the ham and broccoli. Stir that up and give it a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Well, not generous at first; taste as you go and go from there, but I was pretty generous.
- Place the mixture in a casserole dish and top with the rest of the cheese and bake it until it’s bubbly and golden brown on top, switching to the broiler in the last few minutes if necessary.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- And here’s a little tip. Even after cooking in the oven for 30 minutes, my broccoli was crisp-tender. If you (or your kiddos) like it softer, you could toss it into the hot pasta water for the last minute or so of cooking; just to give it a head start.
- When I was eating this I realized you could easily get similar results by blending cooked cauliflower into our Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (that goes in the blender anyway) and stirring it up with steamed broccoli and ham. So that’s another option!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can assemble your casserole up to 24 hours before baking. Just cover tightly and store in the fridge.
Baking gets you that crunchy cheese layer on top and helps thicken the sauce a bit, but if your broccoli is cooked when you add it, you could definitely just eat it from the stovetop without baking if desired.
Yes. While this sauce is super yummy, it’s not going to be an unnoticeable swap for heavier cream-based sauces like alfredo. It’s probably not going to trick your kids, but is a pretty unoffensive way to introduce a new veggie by pureeing it with cheese!
We’ve had readers report having good luck using frozen cauliflower in the sauce and sautéing it straight from frozen! If you are using frozen broccoli, I just recommend cooking it until tender-crisp before mixing in with the rest of the ingredients.
Baked Pasta and Broccoli with Ham and Cheesy-Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small head cauliflower cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
- 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 4 medium shallots roughly chopped (or sub about ½-¾ cup diced onion)
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups skim milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg I did just under that, between ⅛-¼
- 6 ounces Pecorino cheese grated (about 2 cups- could sub fresh grated Parmesan)
- ½ pound medium multigrain pasta shells or bowties
- ¼ pound sliced smoked ham chopped (about 1 cups)
- 1 medium bunch broccoli trimmed and cut into florets (3-5 cups)
- ½ cup toasted whole-wheat panko Japanese bread crumbs for serving.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cauliflower, garlic, shallots, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook until softened but not brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour; stir to coat well.
- Gradually stir in milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gently simmer until cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer all to a blender, and puree with nutmeg and half the pecorino until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until slightly tender but not fully cooked, about 5 minutes. (Note: If you like your broccoli pretty tender, add it to boiling pasta water for a couple of minutes before draining) Drain well; return to pot.
- Add ham, broccoli, and cauliflower sauce; toss to combine. Transfer to an ovenproof 3 ½ quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining pecorino, and bake until bubbling in center, about 30 minutes. Heat broiler, and broil until golden brown on top, 1-2 minutes. Divide among dishes, top with breadcrumbs (if using), and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- And here’s a little tip. Even after cooking in the oven for 30 minutes, my broccoli was crisp-tender. If you (or your kiddos) like it softer, you could toss it into the hot pasta water for the last minute or so of cooking; just to give it a head start.
- When I was eating this I realized you could easily get similar results by blending cooked cauliflower into our Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (that goes in the blender anyway) and stirring it up with steamed broccoli and ham. So that’s another option!
Questions & Reviews
would this make a good freezer meal? if so, how would i go about freezing/baking it?
I made this tonight, and we are NOT fans of this one, the texture was not palatable, this is the first recipe I have gotten from your site that I didn’t like.
I’m sorry it wasn’t a success Ellen. I wonder if something went wrong because the texture should have just been super creamy as you can see mine was. Either way, sorry! (Blame Martha, it’s her recipe 😉 haha)
It is no biggie, I always love your website and you guys. Of course I will always be back 🙂
Tried this last night and LOVED it. I had my parents over, and we all agreed it’s a keeper. (By the way, there was no fresh cauliflower at my grocery store, so I followed your directions exactly but started with totally frozen cauliflower…worked beautifully. I also made the cheese sauce the night before and refrigerated it overnight, which worked fine.)
hee hee! my 17 yr old is stoked to have pasta with cheese sauce tonight for dinner, and he has no idea that he’ll be getting veggies! thanks for the marvelous idea.
This tasted kind of like quiche to me. We didn’t love it, but it was all right and a good way to use up a ton of broccoli and cauliflower that we had! And I think if I make it again, I’ll add corn, to make it even more like a quiche!
I made this recipe tonight and while the flavors were great, it was horribly soupy. So bad that I had to use a slotted spoon to serve it. I followed the recipe exactly, so I’m not sure what happened. Next time I will use about 2.5 cups of milk instead of 4.
That’s strange Holly, maybe try cooking the mixture a little longer as well, or adding a touch more flour.
Ideas on cheese I could sub? – maybe “italian” cheese?
Fresh grated parmesan will work best for a sub 🙂
Could you freeze this before you add the cheese on top and then bake later?
Probably. I’ve never tried it so I can’t tell ya for sure, but I would think it would freeze just fine.
Cauliflower happens to be pretty much my favorite cooked vegetable (even though I don’t like it raw) so I’ll definitely be trying this, thank you! Love the creamy deliciousness your pics captured 🙂
Ok, this looks so yummy! I will definitely make it. But it would be even more fun with those adorable bowls. I cannot resist adorable bowls. Where did you find such cute ones?
Ikea!