This Creamy Pancetta Broccoli Pasta is the perfect any occasion pasta recipe. Made with Broccoli, Parmesan cheese and a creamy white sauce, it makes the most delicious pasta casserole!
There are so many ways you can cook with broccoli, you can Bake it or serve it, as a Red Sauce Pasta Bake and it can even take the place of Cauliflower.
The other day when I went to my friend’s grocery store, I thought I would ask if she had any new suggestions for broccoli. At first she gave me the usual suggestions, breaded or sautéed in some olive oil, the usual.
But I wanted something different, and so she told me about this delicious baked pasta recipe. So I though why not? I will give it a try. You can never have enough Baked Pasta dishes in my opinion.
Recipe Ingredients
- Broccoli – one whole head of broccoli
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Pancetta – chopped
- Thyme – fresh thyme or fresh oregano
- Pasta – you will need approximately 2 cups dry pasta for the recipe
- Butter – salted butter
- Flour
- Salt
- Milk – whole or 2% milk
If you like some spice you could add a dash or two of red pepper flakes.
Is broccoli good for you?
It is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants as. Including vitamin C, it is also delicious whether eaten cooked or raw.
How to make a Broccoli Pasta recipe
In a large pot of salted water first boil the broccoli florets until al dente, drain well and set aside, in the same water cook the pasta al dente, drain well.
In a small pan add a little olive oil and cook the pancetta (bacon or sausage) until lightly golden, remove from pan and drain on paper towel lined plate.
In a medium pot on medium heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and salt until smooth then gradually add the milk and stir continuously until smooth and thickened. Gently fold in broccoli and pasta, then gently fold in Pancetta, turn into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with fresh thyme. Bake for until golden. Serve immediately.
How to cook pasta
Always cook the pasta in enough water, you will need 4 cups (1 litre) for 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) of pasta. Be sure to choose the correct size pot, you don’t want the water to reach the rim and overflow, because pasta, when cooked, can increase in volume up to three times. Always cover the pot when boiling the water, but remove it once the pasta has been added.
Calculate about 7 g of salt for every litre of water. Add the salt only when the water has reached a boil and never before.
After adding the pasta to the pot, bring it back to a boil and keep it at a boil while the pasta is cooking. This allows the pasta to achieve an even cooking, be sure to stir frequently while it is cooking.
Never pass the freshly drained pasta under running tap water. You should never stop the cooking, even when you are making a cold pasta salad, let it cool by adding a drizzle of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
Drain the pasta al dente, this is done by tasting, if it has a bite to it it’s ready, nothing worse than mushy pasta. If you have to toss the pasta in a pan with sauce or bake it in a casserole then cook it at least one minute less (pasta very al dente).
What is authentic Parmesan?
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is authentic or DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta which means Protected Designation of Origin), and Parmesan cheese is just an imitation of Parmigiano Reggiano. Reggiano is always made in Italy, while Parmesan can be made anywhere, there are no restrictions on using the name Parmesan. And don’t forget a less expensive but also a DOP choice is Parmigiano Grana Padano.
Why grate your own Parmesan Cheese?
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A couple of reasons it’s better to grate your own. It’s cheaper and it tastes so much better. Packaged cheese tends to have a coating to keep the cheese from sticking together. Not a good thing.
You can grate your own cheese with either a Cheese Grater or by placing chunks in your Food Processor and just pulsing a few times until coarsely ground.
Freshly ground parmesan cheese can be kept in a plastic bag or airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 18 months.
Recipe variations
Her recipe called for Italian sausages but since the Italian isn’t a great lover of sausages (crazy I know),I decided to switch it up with Pancetta instead. If you can’t get Pancetta then bacon will do.
For this recipe I used penne rigate (ridged pasta) but mezze maniche, fusilli or rigatoni type of pasta would also work. I wouldn’t use a long pasta for this dish.
Storage instructions
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days, be sure to store in an air tight container. It can be rewarmed in the oven or microwave. I don’t recommend freezing because of the white sauce.
Now this Creamy Pancetta Broccoli Pasta dish sounds like the perfect comfort food wouldn’t you say? Buon Appetito!
Creamy Broccoli Bacon Penne Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 small head of broccoli broken into small florets
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or more if you wish
- ⅓ cup cubed pancetta or bacon (or 2 or 3 Italian sausages casing removed)
- 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3-4 cups cooked short pasta (2 cups dry)
WHITE SAUCE
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 1½ tablespoons flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1½ cups milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F/ 180C, lightly grease an 8 x 6 inch (20x15cm) casserole dish.
- In a large pot of salted water first boil the broccoli florets until al dente, drain well and set aside, in the same water cook the pasta al dente, drain well.
- In a small pan with 1 tablespoon of oil cook pancetta (bacon or sausage) until lightly golden, remove from pan and drain on paper towel lined plate.
- In a medium pot on medium heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and salt until smooth then gradually add the milk, stir continuously until smooth and thickened. Gently fold in broccoli and pasta, then gently fold in Pancetta, pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with fresh thyme. Bake for approximately 15 minutes (I also broiled it for about 2-3 minutes to brown the top). Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from January 20, 2016.
Max says
Hi Rosemary,Made this dish yesterday using Sicilian sausage, it was fantastic, also recently did the biscotti and lemon cake. Retirement agrees with me.
Merry Xmas
Rosemary says
Hi Max, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them all. And happy retirement! Have a great weekend.
Laurie from Virginia says
We modify this recipe a bit by adding more cheese and more veggies, usually half a fresh bell pepper. Excellent recipe! My daughter is keeping this one, as she prepares to start cooking for herself.
Rosemary says
Hi Laurie thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. And that is great your daughter is starting to cook. Have a great weekend.
Sam says
Hi I’m going to try again .. I am using one pound pasta box that I will boil .. how much bechamel will I need ? Ty again..
Rosemary says
Hi Sam I would probably 1 1/2 or even double the recipe for the white sauce. Let me know how it goes.
Laurie from Virginia says
When I use a pound of pasta, I double everything else! I also add more cheese and a chopped bell pepper.
Sam says
Hi there.. kinda new in the kitchen .I want to make this for about 12 ounces of pasta .. how much bechamel would I need ? The amount you post is 3 cups pasta cooked right ?ty in advance samfarias
Rosemary says
Hi Sam, so 12 ounces would be half the recipe, although the white sauce I would do 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon of flour and a pinch of salt. Let me know how it goes.
Sam says
12 ounces is almost a pound of pasta uncooked that’ is .. isn’t your recipe less it says cooked pasta ! I’m confused
Rosemary says
Hi Sam, I am sorry, but I am also confused, 12 ounces of cooked pasta is equal to 1 1/2 cups cooked. So are you talking cooked or uncooked pasta? And 2 ounces of uncooked pasta equals 1 cup of cooked. So you either need to double it or half it depending on whether you are talking about dry or cooked pasta.
Laurie from Virginia says
A new favorite in my family! I use olive oil instead of butter in the white sauce for our low-salt diet, and sauté some garlic in the oil to add flavor to the white sauce. I use more broccoli than recommended, and add a cup or more of chopped raw bell pepper (red, yellow, green – whatever I have). I mix the 1/3 cup parmesan (or other cheese) into the sauce and add more cheese to the top. If I have other leftover veggies in the fridge, I add them!
Delicious, healthy meal! The bacon flavor goes a long way. Easy to make, and enjoyed by all of us!
Rosemary says
Thanks Laurie, glad you and your family enjoyed it. Take care.
marlene Iannarilli garbett says
excellent recipes thankyou, my family loves them
Rosemary says
Hi Marlene, thanks glad everyone enjoys them. Take care.
Jeremy says
Made this at the firehouse tonight and it was a big hit. Everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe and added some extra cheese, as well as some pepper to the sauce. I also used 8 slices of pepper bacon and cut it up. I didn’t have penne noodles so I substituted those for what we had in the pantry. Delicious will definitely be making this again!
Rosemary says
Hi Jeremy, thanks so much, so glad everyone liked it. And extra cheese and pepper is always a good thing. All the best. 🙂
Katherine says
Followed the recipe as written (used bacon because I had neither pancetta nor sausage) and it was delicious! I may try browning some garlic in the butter next time, but I will definitely make this again and again. My husband & I really enjoyed it.
Rosemary says
Hi Katherine, thanks so glad you both enjoyed it. Sounds like a good idea with the garlic. Have a great day. 🙂
R says
Not that impressed, the portions you put are too little, this did not turn out :/
Rosemary says
Hi R I am sorry it didn’t turn out for you, so I decided to re make it and I followed the recipe exactly and it was even better than I remember it being. 🙂
Taylor says
This was delicious! I adore the fresh thyme. Threw in some minced garlic, to give the sauce more flavor. While on the subject of sauce, the recipe should call for a bit more milk, as there wasn’t a lot to cover the ingredients.
Rosemary says
Hi Taylor, so glad you liked it, thanks for the update on the milk I will note that.
Easy Peasy Life Matters says
This sounds to die for!! Pinned! Thanks for sharing on the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop 🙂
Ann says
I definitely have to try this recipe. The kids may even like it. It’s freezing here and we’re expecting a snowstorm this weekend. Perfect dish.
Rosemary says
Hi Ann, sorry to hear about the weather, keep warm and enjoy the pasta.
Jean says
This looks amazing! Creamy, cheesy pasta with bacon and broccoli?!? I’m in. Wednesday night is pasta night at our house and this is on the menu for next week. Thank you!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Well it is cold in southern Florida also and it’s supposed to be warm. That’s why we come here. Your casserole looks delicious — you can’t go wrong with those ingredients. Just save a double helping for me, please?? Stay warm.
April @ Girl Gone Gourmet says
So, it’s FREEZING cold here in North Carolina – I would love a big plate of this after taking the puppy on his frigid evening walk! I love broccoli, and cheese, pasta, and bacon – so, yeah, this is pretty much my idea of food heaven 🙂
Rosemary says
Hi April, to tell the truth it’s pretty cold here too, come for dinner! 🙂