Macaroni Broccoli Bake

Ingredients

• Serves 4
• 2 cups elbow pasta
• 1 small head broccoli, washed and trimmed, cut into small florets
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated
• 1/2 cup spreadable cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice
• salt & pepper, to season to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350�F.
2. Lightly butter an oven proof baking dish.
3. To cook pasta, fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with hot tap water.
4. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Add the pasta and stir with a wooden spoon to be sure noodles don�t stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat down, enough to maintain a boil and stir every so often to prevent noodles sticking. Do not cover the pot.
6. After 8-10 minutes, take a piece of pasta out of the water, allow it to cool and do a test for doneness.
7. Bite into the pasta. If it is too hard to bite or you see a white center, it needs to cook a little longer.
8. When it cooks all the way through it is ready and cooked el dente. Add the broccoli florets and cook for one minute longer.
9. Turn off the heat, put the pasta and broccoli into a strainer. Shake out excess water and put the pot back onto a cool part of the stove.
10. While the pasta is boiling melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic, cook stirring for one minute. Add the flour and cook for a minute stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the milk a little bit at a time and use a whisk to stir in. You want to achieve a smooth sauce that has no lumps in it. Stir in the lemon rind.
11. Place the mixture back onto the heat and cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes until the sauce just comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes, stirring as needed so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
12. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
13. Pour the sauce into the pasta/broccoli and gently stir in to combine.
14. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
15. Place the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and drizzle on the olive oil. Stir lightly with a spoon or your fingertips to lightly coat the breadcrumbs in oil the sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the pasta.
16. Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
17. Remove and serve hot.