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
Made this tonight with fancy smoked chicken sausage instead of the Ham, turned out perfect! Thanks!
this is my new favorite recipe hands down (and i try a new recipe at least once a week)!!! so good. i cannot wait to make it again and i’ve shared it with everyone i know!! thank you!! (way too many exclamations points, but i’m that excited haha)
I was a little nervous making this one. It seemed like it wasn’t going to turn out very good. I had to purée it in 2 different batches since all of the sauce wouldn’t fit in my blender at once. Then I simmered it a bit longer because it still looked like it would be quite runny. But after all was said and done, it turned out fabulous! And I didn’t need to broil it. The cheese got nice and crusty all on its own. I also used quinoa noodles which I had never used before. They were really good. My only complaint is that the recipe takes a while to make. Next time I’ll do more prep ahead.
We got both cauliflower and broccoli in Bountiful Baskets this week, so this recipe was just made for us! What’s better is that my 20 month old ate it – and he NEVER touches ANY vegetables. So thanks for giving us his yearly vegetable intake. 😉
made this tonight! SO YUMMY!!!!!!
I just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful recipe. I had seen someone make an alfredo sauce with cauliflower on TV before, but didn’t trust them when they said it was just as good as regular alfredo. But, when I saw this recipe on your site, I knew I had to try it. I trust you, because I haven’t had a single thing from this site that I didn’t enjoy. My husband and I concurred that this is better than regular alfredo sauce, because you don’t have that greasy film left over in your mouth. My kids loved it so much, 2 of the 4 were talking about having it for their birthday meals. . . a high compliment in our house! Thanks so much for your healthy alternative recipes 🙂
Does the sauce need to be used immediately?
No, you could refrigerate it Liz. It might thicken after being stored, but you could heat it up and just add a little milk to thin if it needs it.
This turned out awesome. Since we are lovers of your alfredo sauce already, I took your suggestion and pureed the cauliflower into your alfredo recipe (which I doubled) with just minor alterations. It was awesome!!!!! The sauce was delicious and super creamy, and I kept sneaking pieces!! All of my children asked for 2nds and 3rds and they were ecstatic that we had it for leftovers the next day!! Thanks.
I made this last night with chicken instead of ham and I put bread crumbs on top instead of more cheese. My husband and I thought it was fantastic but my kids all thought it was too cheesy. Go figure! I’m going to try it again with parmesan and see if that helps them.
I just made this tonight and it tasted pretty good but i was a little disappointed in the texture. IDK if I just needed to puree it longer (I pureed it for like 5 minutes) or if i just didn’t get the cauliflower soft enough but it wasn’t as smooth or ‘creamy’ as I was expecting. Maybe I was just expecting it to be a lot like alfredo sauce and well, it’s cauliflower 🙂