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
Is it possible to just make the cauliflower sauce and stop after pouring over the pasta and mixing it in? Or is it necessary to bake it after?
Thanks!
Baking melts the cheese and probably helps thicken the sauce a bit, but ya- it would be no biggie to skip that step and just eat it 🙂
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! As of today, this will be the second week in a row of making this dish. My family loved it and they couldn’t believe the sauce was made from cauliflower. It was absolutely a hit! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Yeah…tried this and my family saw right through the sauce..only my husband would eat it! Oh well..it was worth a try!
BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE WHITE SAUCE. I thought I was doing a good job of constantly stirring it but it turned out awful 🙁
I think it would taste better with a 2% milk with some heavy cream sneaked in.
Made this last night – so yummy and so easy. My husband, who would put ketchup on his ketchup if he could, said “no thanks, this is really good without it.” I was blown away. As leftovers today for lunch, I added some fresh dived tomatoes – still super yummy. This is a keeper for me. Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this tonight, and I really liked it! My husband was suspicious when he saw me pureeing cauliflower (I’ve had a lot of kitchen fails lately; he has reason to be suspicious!), but my kids asked for seconds, which means it’s a winner for me! I used parmesan, and put the breadcrumbs on right before broiling.
Sadly, I also did not like this too much. The cheese was too bitter for my liking. I think if I do it again I will do parmesan and add a lot more ham than I did and probably more salt. Texture was creamy just weird flavor–maybe too much Romano.
I’m trying this tomorrow! My kids are huge fans of Pasta Roni and I’m really wanting to get away from it, but finding saucy enough recipes without all the fat or cream is challenging. Yummy looking.
I found the pecorino cheese at Costco which was great … But now I have a lot of it. Will it melt up in the guiltless Alfredo like the Parmesan does? Good cheese either way … Glad I had a reason to try it 🙂 thanks for sharing … Making this over the weekend! 🙂
Made your apple cinnamon cream cheese bites from the calendar today … DeLiSH!!
Yes, it would probably taste great in that sauce!