Baked Broccoli Alfredo Rigatoni

 

 

I think pasta has to be one of my favorite things and yet it was not something we had very often when I was growing up. My mom never made macaroni and cheese or anything like that. She made hamburger macaroni every now and then (not my favorite) and when we got into our teens, she discovered what he called Italian spaghetti!!

She was really proud of that. It was a pound of ground beef browned in a saucepan with a can of Catelli pasta sauce added.  Again, I was not a fan.  The sauce was lackluster and to be honest I was not fond of the meat in the "sauce." It was fatty and just blech.  It was a texture thing.

 

It got so she would save me a couple TBS of the sauce before she added the meat, and I would eat my spaghetti plain with that sauce and a bit of cheese on top. I was quite happy with that.

I have always been quite happy to eat my pasta without meat.  This recipe I am sharing with you today is for a simple pasta dish which is creamy and comforting. No meat in it, but plenty of crispy tender broccoli. All folded together with a velvety Alfredo sauce and baked beneath a blanket of cheese. What's not to like about this one!!

This is a small batch recipe that makes two delicious servings! You can easily double it to feed more and make it ahead of time ready to pop into the oven at supper time if you wish!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED BROCCOLI ALFREDO RIGATONI

Just a few simple ingredients.  There is nothing overly complicated about this dish.

• 1 1/3 cups (6 ounces/150g) rigatoni pasta, uncooked
• 1/2 broccoli crown, broken into florets (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup (257g) Alfredo sauce (see below how to make your own)
• 1/2 cup (56g) grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised
• salt and black pepper to taste

 

You can use any tubular shaped pasta for this recipe.  You could even use Fusilli if that is all you have.

You could use frozen broccoli if you wanted to. Thaw it first, but do not blanche it with the pasta when you cook that.  Just add it thawed to the casserole and it will finish cooking in the oven without overcooking.

By bruising the garlic, I mean to bash it lightly with the bottom of a glass, cup or bottle.  You don't want it smashed to smithereens as you will want to fish it out before putting the dish together so nobody gets a whole clove of garlic in the mouth.

 

HOW TO MAKE BAKED BROCCOLI ALFREDO RIGATONI

This is really not hard to make at all. The broccoli cooks in with the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking the pasta.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and then add the rigatoni pasta along with the bruised clove of garlic. Cook according to the package directions adding the broccoli florets during the last 2 minutes of cook time.

Drain well and rinse. Drain well again. Remove the garlic and discard. Return the pasta and broccoli to the saucepan. Fold in the alfredo sauce, coating everything well with it.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4-cup/1/2-liter baking dish. Pour the pasta and broccoli mixture into the baking dish.

Mix the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses together. Sprinkle evenly over top of the pasta/broccoli. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through and the cheese is golden brown.

 

Easy Alfredo Sauce (will printout with the recipe)

1 1/2 TBS butter
1/2 cup (120ml) half and half or cream
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup (135g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream and garlic and bring to a simmer. (don't allow to boil) Cook, whisking for about 5 minutes. Add the cheese slowly, whisking constantly until melted. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and nutmeg if desired.

If you think your sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of milk or pasta water.

 

HINTS AND TIPS

1. You can add any variety of vegetables to the dish to increase the nutritional value of the dish and add color and interest. Mushrooms, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, peas, etc. Just blanch them before adding them.  Fry the mushrooms and peppers.

2. This can be made ahead of time up to the point of oven baking it. Simply cover and pop into the refrigerator. Remove about half an hour before you want to cook it and proceed as per the recipe.

3. Feel free to add protein to the dish in the way of cooked and crumbled sausage, cubed cooked chicken or turkey, drained tinned salmon or tuna, etc.

4. Cook your pasta just to al dente.  Over cooking it will make it mushy.

5. Taste and adjust seasoning along the way.

6. If possible, grate your own cheeses. They usually add something to pre-grated cheese to keep it from clumping together and to make it flow better. You don't really want that in your sauce or casserole. 

 

This was exceptionally delicious and very easy to put together. I loved that it used only simple ingredients. I made my own Alfredo sauce and have added the recipe for that to the printable recipe in case you wish to do the same thing!

If you really wanted to you could add some tuna, salmon or cooked chicken to the dish. I enjoyed this with some crusty bread and a mixed salad on the side. It was super tasty!

   

You don't always need meat to make a fulfilling and hearty pasta supper.  I often treat myself to indulgent vegetarian pasta options that are not only delicious, but I can promise you, the meat is never missed.  Here are a few tasty vegetarian options that you might also enjoy!

EASY MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE - This is really delicious and not at all hard to make.  If you have a food processor and use it, the work and time required is cut down considerably. Simple affordable everyday ingredients and deliciously on the table in about half an hour.

ONE PAN OVEN SPAGHETTI - A family classic with perfectly cooked spaghetti bathed in a rich, savory tomato sauce.  Minimal effort required as it all cooks in the oven, including the spaghetti. Delicious and easy to make, this always goes down a real treat!

Yield: 2 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Baked Broccoli Alfredo Rigatoni

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A creamy and delicious baked pasta dish filled with crispy tender broccoli and a rich alfredo sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (6 ounces/150g) rigatoni pasta, uncooked
• 1/2 broccoli crown, broken into florets (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup (257g) Alfredo sauce (see below how to make your own)
• 1/2 cup (56g) grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and then add the rigatoni pasta along with the bruised clove of garlic. Cook according to the package directions adding the broccoli florets during the last 2 minutes of cook time.
2. Drain well and rinse. Drain well again. Fish out and discard the garlic clove. Return the pasta and broccoli to the saucepan. Fold in the alfredo sauce, coating everything well with it.
3. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 4-cup/1/2 liter baking dish.
4. Pour the pasta and broccoli mixture into the baking dish.
5. Mix the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses together. Sprinkle evenly over top of the pasta/broccoli.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through and the cheese is golden brown.

Notes

Easy Alfredo Sauce

1 1/2 TBS butter

1/2 cup (120ml) half and half or cream

2 cloves garlic minced

3/4 cup (135g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and cracked black pepper to taste

freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream and garlic and bring to a simmer. (don't allow to boil) Cook, whisking for about 5 minutes. Add the cheese slowly, whisking constantly until melted. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and nutmeg if desired.

If you think your sauce is too thick, you can thin it out with a bit of milk or pasta water.

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