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Heather's Dish

Heather's Dish Snacks, Soups, Sides

Broccoli Penne Bechamel Bake

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I think it should be obvious from this entire blog that I love butter.  I can’t believe that I spent all of those years hiding from it!  Let’s make up for lost time, shall we?

Now, let’s talk bechamel.  It’s one of the 4 grandes sauces and is used in French cooking specifically, but has variations all over the world.  Something I really like to use it in is lasagna rather than ricotta sometimes.  It’s this amazing, velvety, creamy, thick concoction that’s spiced with nutmeg and will probably make your eyes roll back in your head.  Probably.

 

The best recipe I’ve found is actually Mario Batali’s traditional bechamel.  Sometimes you just can’t update a classic, and I’m not going to challenge and Iron Chef!

 

MARIO BATALI’S BECHAMEL SAUCE

  • 5 Tbsp butter
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

First things first, you have to melt the butter.  I recommend doing this over extremely low heat because if you burn the bechamel…well, let’s just say don’t!

While the butter is melting, boil some pasta.  I did a 1/2 pound of penne, but you could really use any kind you like.  The important thing is to only cook it for 2/3 of the time the box recommends.  You’ll be tossing it in the sauce and then baking, and no one likes mushy pasta.  Drain and set aside when it’s ALMOST al dente and you’ll be good to go!

Once the butter is melted add the flour.  You’ll want to have a whisk nearby to start stirring!  I have yet to meet anyone who really likes burned stuff, and like I said:  don’t burn the bechamel!

Oh Lord help me. Is it wrong to want to jump into a pool of perfectly cooked roux?

So yes…stir, stir, stir your little heart out.  But make sure you take a break to measure out your milk.  You’re going to need it after about 5-6 minutes of cooking the roux!

Might as well get your nutmeg handy as well!  Nutmeg is a super strong flavor, but I have come to adore it in bechamel and savory dishes.  It’s life-changing.

Once the roux starts to darken, pour in the milk and whisk it until thoroughly combined.  You’ll be getting a steam facial while you do this…don’t get scared, that’s totally supposed to happen.  Nothing wrong in combining self care and cooking, right?!

This is when you can finally take a little break with the stirring.  You’ll still need to do it every minute or so, but you gotta leave it alone and let it thicken up!  At first you’ll start seeing bubbles around the edges like the photo above, but very soon you’ll see the bubbles in the middle and the mixture will very clearly be thickening up!

It’s like magic, right?

Just wait til you taste it.

The bechamel is ready to go when you can stick a spoon in there and it coats the back of it.  You can still cook it down even further if need be, but this is the right thickness for the bake that we’re making today!

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the salt and the nutmeg.  Oh the nutmeg!

Fold in the 2 lbs frozen broccoli and the pasta (measurements for both are at the bottom of this post):

Then dump it all into a pan and sprinkle with cheese (parmesan’s the best in my opinion, although I actually used mozzarella last night) and top with fresh cracked pepper.  Cover the pan with foil.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese on top is bubbly and brown.

What comes out of the oven at that point is the most magical, drool-worthy pasta/veggie bake you could imagine.  We served it with a simple chicken breast (cooked in salt, pepper, and 1 tsp olive oil).  When you have something truly amazing like this you only need a simple chicken side dish to go along with it!

BROCCOLI PENNE BECHAMEL BAKE

  • 1/2 pound penne pasta
  • 2 lbs frozen or fresh broccoli florets
  • Mario Batali’s Bechamel Sauce
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese

____________________________________________________________

Soooo…this might be a repost of one of my absolute favorite recipes ever!  We made it again recently and, since it was post almost a year ago and since I cleaned like a crazy woman last night and forgot to take pictures of food for you guys, well, I posted it again.  Besides, what better time to fire up the grill with your favorite chicken or fish recipe and have a great pasta/veggie side dish to go with it?  Amen y’all.  Amen.

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Comments

  1. Sara says

    August 9, 2011 at 3:41 pm

    When you use bechamel in place of ricotta in lasagna, do you let it thicken up a bit more? I think I make a decent bechamel so I will have to try it in lasagna – I always use nutmeg and usually I add a tsp or 2 of mustard powder.

    Reply
    • Heather says

      August 10, 2011 at 5:59 am

      I actually leave it the same thickness, but don’t cook the noodles and definitely let it stand for a bit before cutting into the hot lasagna. hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 11, 2011 at 4:49 pm

        It does! See? I would have cooked the noodles and then ending up with a watery mess. Thanks!

        Reply
  2. Mads says

    August 5, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    mmm I love me some bechamel sauce! I’m definitely guilty of burning it…more than once.
    I’ve never done nutmeg in a savory dish, but I bet it’s fantastic!

    Reply
  3. Krista {Budget Gourmet Mom} says

    August 4, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    Wow! Beautiful and it looks so easy! Perfect for entertaining with.

    Reply
  4. Lauren from Lauren's Latest says

    August 4, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    I love the simplicity of this recipe. That bechamel looks good enough to bathe in!

    Reply
  5. The Food Hunter says

    August 4, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Yum! I’m thinking some bechamel might be the trick to get my hubby eating broccoli.

    Reply
  6. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says

    August 4, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    I definitely agree with you that sticking to the classics (and masters) is a great idea! I love baked pasta – I would endure the heat from my oven during this hot summer for this!

    Reply
  7. Jenn B says

    August 4, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    This looks like a perfect fall dish. And since in Alaska that means fall is about 3 weeks away, looks like I’ll be making this soon! Hope Colorado is as wonderful as ever!

    Reply
  8. Kathleen says

    August 4, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Love this. I just might jump in that sauce with ya!

    Reply
  9. Urban Wife says

    August 4, 2011 at 9:35 am

    I’ve never made bechamel before but it looks easy. Gosh, I could dive into this baked dish right now. No lie.

    Reply
  10. Jen of My Tiny Oven says

    August 4, 2011 at 9:18 am

    Is it ok to want this for breakfast? I love any kind of pasta and this looks perfect! You rock!

    Reply
  11. Meagan says

    August 4, 2011 at 7:24 am

    I need to make this! All my favorites: pasta, cheese, broccoli …yum!

    Reply
  12. Emily @ A Cambridge Story says

    August 4, 2011 at 7:20 am

    oooh fall and dishes like this are calling my name!!

    Reply
  13. Blog is the New Black says

    August 4, 2011 at 6:59 am

    Ahhhh, this looks so decadent and delicious!

    Reply
  14. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says

    August 4, 2011 at 6:43 am

    Making bechamel always scares the heck out of me because of the whole “thickening” part. I keep my cornstarch close by just in case!

    Reply
  15. Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says

    August 4, 2011 at 6:19 am

    That’s a great bechamel 101 lesson – looks so simple and extravagant at the same time!

    Reply

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