- 6 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 10 - 16oz Broccoli (fresh or frozen)
- 1 3/4 cups milk, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
- 8 - 16oz cubed ham
- Put a large pot of water on to boil to cook your noodles. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 16x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Thaw your broccoli, drain if needed, and set aside.
- Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl.
- While pasta is cooking: Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Chop your broccoli, if needed.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Mix in remaining ingredients, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. You can cover, or not. If you cover, remove it for the last 5-10 minutes so the casserole can brown.
You can use Italian style breadcrumbs if you want. I've used both, it's good either way.
Details & Pictures
Topping all mixed up.
Once the broccoli has cooled a bit, so it doesn't burn you, you can make it smaller if you like. I usually prefer it chopped to smaller, bite-size, pieces.
All mixed up and poured into the pan.
Topping sprinkled over the top. I, personally, didn't think the original recipe made enough so I doubled it. You don't need to double it if you follow this recipe though because it's already been written in. :)