The baked pasta with broccoli and béchamel is very simple and full of flavor — a first course with broccoli that you can prepare in advance and gratin in the oven just before sitting down; this way you’ll enjoy the full flavor of this baked pasta while broccoli season lasts.
Want a tip? Make two baking dishes and freeze one so that when broccoli are no longer available at the market and you crave them, you just need to take the dish out of the freezer, thaw it and gratin it in the oven — you’ll see it will taste like it was just made.
If you like broccoli or if you love baked pasta, you can check the recipe for Roman-style broccoli gratin without béchamel or baked pasta with ham and béchamel.
Now let’s see right after the photo how to prepare this broccoli and béchamel pasta!! But first, check below for other first-course broccoli recipes to try 😉
See you soon with the next recipe, Ana Amalia!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring
Ingredients for baked pasta with broccoli and béchamel
- 10.6 oz paccheri (Or other short pasta of your choice)
- 1.3 lbs broccoli (net weight, after trimming)
- 1 clove garlic
- 5.3 oz mozzarella
- 1.8 oz Grana Padano, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- 1.25 cups béchamel sauce
Preparation — baked pasta
To prepare the baked gratin pasta, first make the béchamel following my recipe HERE.
Meanwhile, separate the broccoli florets and cook them for 5–6 minutes in lightly salted water; at the end of cooking drain them but keep the cooking water to cook the pasta.
When the broccoli are cooked, drain them and add the pasta to the same cooking water.
In a large skillet heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lightly fry the crushed clove of garlic, then sauté the broccoli for 5 minutes to let them absorb the flavor.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it into the pan with the broccoli, season with salt and mix well. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 392°F then spread a little béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish, pour half the pasta with broccoli, sprinkle with part of the grated cheese and half of the mozzarella cubes.
Add half the béchamel, then the remaining pasta and broccoli, more grated cheese and mozzarella cubes, and finish with the remaining béchamel.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven and brown and flavor the baked pasta with broccoli and béchamel for 15–20 minutes.
If you want a crisper, more golden crust, turn on the grill for the last 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the baked pasta rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to store
You can store it in the refrigerator even before gratinating for 1 day.
If you wish, you can freeze it ready to gratinate once thawed.
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