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
My mom used to make a cheese sauce for the cauliflower and the broccoli both when we were younger just so that we would eat our veggies – this looks fabulous with the ham and the cheese baked on top! I need to add this to my list of must try recipes as I suspect it’s pretty close to my Mom’s.
I tore this one out too—it looks so great, glad to hear it was a success!
This looks fantastic. My 4-year old, who used to eat veggies like chocolate, is now in the “veggies are yucky” stage–so I’m loving the idea that there is cauliflower in this sauce. I’ll be trying this soon, for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Looks yummy. I am not a fan of cauliflower but it’s mostly a texture thing (although I love broccoli so that must not be the only reason), but I think I could try it in something like this.
I’m making this for dinner tonight! We aren’t big fans of cauliflower, but we ended up with a huge veggie tray, and I need to use it up. Thank you!
I changed it slightly with the ingredients I had. It was a total hit!!! Thank you for the idea
This looks awesome!! I’m not a huge fan of ham, so I might substitute shredded or cubed chicken. I love that you can have a creamy sauce without all the calories. This may end up adapted on my blog 🙂
I love the idea of using cauliflower to make a slightly lighter sauce! I’ll be trying this one, thanks 🙂
This sounds REALLY good. We do Bountiful Baskets and I’m often stumped what to do with cauliflower when we get it so it’s not always the same old, same old. This I will definitely have to try. Yum!!
I’ve been staying up way too late and dinner was hours ago, and this looks really delish- plus, you make it look so cute when you dish it up. Was Martha’s title a paragraph long as well?
Yum! I am going to make this very soon!!