In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the broccoli until tender (not mushy). Drain but do not throw out the water.
In a blender place ¾ of the broccoli, olive oil and garlic and blend until creamy.
In a medium bowl combine the blended broccoli, the remaining broccoli, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, the ricotta cheese and the salt and the pepper to taste. Mix together with a fork. Set aside.
In the same water as the broccoli, cook the pasta al dente approximately 6-7 minutes. Drain and wait 5-10 minutes until pasta has cooled enough to be handled, do not run under cold water! Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
WHITE SAUCE
In a medium pot over medium heat melt the butter, and then add the flour and the salt, mix together with a whisk, then add milk slowly and continue to stir until thickened (but not too thick, if it becomes too thick add a little extra milk), stir in oregano, basil and pepper. Remove from heat.
Mix together the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and the parsley.
Place some white sauce on the bottom of an 8x 6 inch baking pan, one by one fill the paccheri with filling and place standing up in the dish. Cover the filled paccheri with the remaining white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese an parsley. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more Parmesan if desired before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
While paccheri pasta is best, if you cannot find it, you can use cannelloni, manicotti or large pasta shells after cooking each tube you could cut them in half or leave whole if you wanted.While each package of paccheri pasta will slightly vary, it should cook in approximately 6-7 minutes. Check the package for cooking time and cook a couple of minutes less.Cooked and crumbled sausage,or shredded chicken can be added to the stuffing for a meatier dish.To stuff the paccheri pasta easily use a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corned snipped off. It will make filling the pasta so much easier! I recommend separating the paccheri pasta after cooking, and placing onto parchment paper so they don’t stick together, and are ready to fill or toss with a teaspoon or so of olive oil to keep them from sticking.Store leftover paccheri in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Since this has a creamy cheese sauce, I don’t recommend freezing it.It is best to warm up in the oven at 350F / 180C until warmed through, although you can microwave it in short increments until warmed through. Sprinkle some freshly grated mozzarella cheese and try broiling it for a fresh baked Italian pasta recipe taste!