Baked Rigatoni with Prosciutto and Broccoli
I love anything with cheese, and the cheesier, the better. Tonight I wanted to make a simple baked pasta, but I'm not a huge fan of red sauce, so I made my own bechamel for the pasta.
Ingredients
Bechamel
- 3/4 stick of butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup light cream
- Cheese (amounts are approximates): 3/4 cup asiago, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/3 cup fontina
- Dash of nutmeg
Pasta
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 4 slices prosciutto, chopped
- 1 large head broccoli, chopped into florets
Directions (first two steps are done while I'm starting the sauce, step 3 below)
- Boil water, cook pasta til still slightly firm, drain
- Heat oven to 375; put broccoli in a baking dish and toss with just a touch of olive oil; roast for 6 minutes
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat olive oil and butter.
- Add garlic and shallots, saute for 2-3 minutes
- Add flour slowly and whisk until you have a nice roux
- Slowly add milk and cream, whisking the entire time
- Bring to a simmer and then add cheeses. Whisk until creamy.
- Add a dash of nutmeg
- Pour the pasta into a baking dish. Add broccoli and prosciutto. Add sauce and mix until all of the pasta is coated. Top with a few pinches of asiago cheese. Bake covered on 375 for 20 minutes; bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
I LOVED this and so did my friend Stacey who was over for the night. I never eat seconds and I enjoyed two and a half plates of this...
I'm thinking of other variations of this dish - spinach and artichoke or broccoli and red bell pepper come to mind.
There is no reason to use jarred alfredo or cream sauces when it is so easy to make your own, and much more delicious!
