Creamy, easy Tomato & Broccoli Casserole

Creamy. Cheesy. Chunky .Crusty.
Roasted cheese and tomatoes. Spicy & Served warm.
And its a casserole.
Need I say more?

When I think of a pasta casserole, I think of something in red sauce. Not being a fan of white sauce myself, I don’t generally attempt to make anything with white sauce in it. But now, that’s gonna change.

What I made today is the best pasta casserole I ever made, and henceforth, if I am making a pasta casserole, it shall be this! That’s it. Tasty as hell, filling and yet not as loaded with calories as it could otherwise be. The flexibility of seasoning the white sauce with anything I chose is awesome, but the fact that this sauce wouldn’t form lumps at all is a bigger reason!

Tomato & Broccoli Casserole

Serves – 2
Preparation time – 20 min
Baking time – 40 min
Level – Easy

White sauce recipe inspired by – TheKitchn
Pasta ingredients & method inspired by - TheKitchn

Ingredients
Uncooked pasta – 1 C [I used Elbows]
Milk – 500 ml
Wheat flour – 3/4 C
Cheese slices, of any kind – 2 , cut into pieces [I used Amul cheese]
Mozzarella cheese cubes – 1/2 C
Salt – To taste
Mustard powder – 1 Tbsp (optional)
Dried Basil – 2 Tbsp
Dried Oregano – 1 Tbsp
Red Chilli Flakes – 1 Tsp
Black pepper – 1 + 1 Tsp, ground
Broccoli – 1 C, cut into florets, cleaned and steamed
Cherry Tomatoes – 10-15, cut in halves
Onion – 1, medium sized, diced
Garlic cloves – 6, minced
Olive oil – 2 Tbsp, to drizzle on the assembled dish

Instructions

Boil the pasta al dente per the instructions on the box in a large pot of water and salt. Drain, wash with cold water and keep aside to prevent further cooking.

Prepare the white sauce by boiling half the quantity of milk. In the rest of the milk, whisk the flour and mix well until there are no lumps. Once the milk starts boiling, add the milk + flour mix  and stir well. Now mix the cheese slices and stir till the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy. Add the salt and the rest of the seasoning and mix well. Take the sauce off the stove and keep aside.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked pasta, broccoli, tomatoes , onions and garlic. Keep some tomatoes and garlic pieces aside for garnish. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Mix the white sauce to this and stir well till all the ingredients are thoroughly coated.

Now pour into a oven-safe dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the tomatoes and garlic. Top this with Mozzarella cheese cubes and bake for 30-40 min at 200 C or till the cheese on top melts and starts bubbling.

Remove from oven and let it stand for a few min. Serve warm, by seasoning it appropriately if required.