I could manage some more, please – JD, 5
Here’s a lovely family recipe for broccoli cheese pasta. It’s really easy to make and uses semi-skimmed milk and light soft cheese to keep the fat content to a minimum.
The fresh broccoli and creaminess of the sauce should appeal to kids and there’s just enough mustard, chilli and pepper to give it a slight kick without being too much for little tastebuds to handle.
Here’s what to do – this recipe feeds four.
Ingredients
- 400g fresh broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 800ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 400g light Philadelphia
- 1.5 tsp mild chili powder
- 500g fresh egg pasta (I cut lasagne sheets into wide strips)
Instructions
- Boil the broccoli until just cooked (not overly soft), then drain
- When cool, chop roughly into inch pieces and set aside
- In a pestle and mortar, crush the mustard with the salt, pepper, chilli
- Warm the oil over a medium heat, then stir in the flour
- Slowly add the milk bit by bit, ensuring it’s fully combined before adding the next bit of milk
- Stir in the cream cheese, mustard, chilli, salt and pepper and heat gently, stirring occassionally until it’s cooked through (you might want to add the spices bit by bit, testing as you go to make sure it’s not too hot for your/your little ones’ tastes)
- Add the broccoli and stir through
- Boil the pasta for around 5 minutes until al dente, then drain and plate
- Spoon over the sauce and serve hot
The spices give the sauce a lovely speckled effect and the broccoli holds the sauce perfectly.
Enjoy!
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That looks blinking fab!
We use light philly quite a bit like this – creamy taste – nice and easy and like you say low fat! I’m going to try this one! I make a similar sauce and add red peppers, courgettes and quorn (chicken stye) pieces are a sort of quorn a la king (ish)
That does look lovely Emily! I’d probably add chicken, but it looks pretty good as a veggie dish!
Oh this looks good. I always make tomato based pasta sauces, but the addition of the mustard seeds etc, sounds very yummy. Good job I’m doing my sainsburys shop….orders more broccoli ;)
Also meant to say this is perfect for the New Year – light and not using turkey! Hoping 2013 brings you everything you want x
Ooh! This looks lovely. I’m trying to engage Little Chap with cheese sauce as he’s not keen. Perhaps the chilli/mustard mix in this will pep it up enough for him…and he loves broccoli and pasta. If he likes it would you mind if I reblog it for you?
Please do! You might want to add the spice in stages and test as you go to make sure it’s not too hot. Will add that note to the recipe x