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5.0 from 3 votes

Cauliflower, Broccoli and Bacon Pasta Bake

A delicious twist on macaroni cheese, this Cauliflower, Broccoli and Bacon Pasta Bake is a quick and easy midweek meal that’s packed full of flavour and a real crowdpleaser! (Serves 4-6, depending on appetite and accompaniments.)

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 578 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 300 g Pasta shapes (I use fusilli, but penne also works well)
  • 250 g cauliflower cut into bitesize pieces
  • 250 g broccoli cut into bitesize pieces
  • 200 g lardons or diced bacon (I use Tesco Finest Lardons)
  • 30 g butter
  • 25 g plain flour (AKA all purpose flour)
  • 500 ml milk
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or to taste
  • salt and black pepper to taste (see Note 1)
  • 200 g mature cheddar cheese grated (I use Davidstow Mature Cheddar)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
  2. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions / your own preferences in a large saucepan. (See Note 2.) For best results, slightly undercook the pasta. This is because the pasta will cook a little more when baked in the oven.
  3. Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the pasta pan for the last 4 minutes of cooking time. (See Note 2.) When the broccoli, cauliflower and pasta have finished cooking, drain and tip into a large, shallow oven dish.
  4. Meanwhile, place the lardons in a small frying pan over a high heat and fry until crisp and golden (about 3 minutes). Turn off the heat and tip into the oven dish.
  5. Next, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over a low heat. When the butter is foaming, add the flour and stir until it’s mixed in. Then keep cooking for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. It takes guts to do this. It looks like something is going to go wrong but it won’t!
  6. Very gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Make sure each bit of milk is incorporated before adding the next bit. If you do this slowly on a very low heat, you should end up with a perfectly smooth cheese sauce with no lumps and no need to whisk. However, if it does go wrong for some reason, you can always use a whisk to beat out the lumps.
  7. When all the milk is incorporated, add the mustard, salt (if using – see Note 1.) and pepper. Then add half the cheese, stir to combine and turn off the heat.
  8. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, vegetables and lardons (which should by now be in the oven dish), stir to mix everything together and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
  9. Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until brown and bubbling.
  10. Serve on its own or with a green salad and/or garlic bread.

Notes

  • I only use black pepper as I find the cheese and bacon add enough salty flavour to this dish
  • To minimise the number of pans you use, I advise using a large pan to cook the pasta and then adding the vegetables to this pan for the last 4 minutes of the pasta cooking time. If you do not have a pan large enough, simply boil the vegetables in a separate pan.
  • Suitable for freezing.
  • Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Information

Calories 578kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 51g (17%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 31g (48%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 73mg (24%) Sodium 548mg (23%) Potassium 583mg (17%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 816IU (16%) Vitamin C 57mg (63%) Calcium 379mg (38%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 578

% Daily Value*

Calories 578kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 548mg 23%
Potassium 583mg 12%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 816IU 16%
Vitamin C 57mg 63%
Calcium 379mg 38%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.