Broccoli cheddar pasta bake
A creamy, cheesy pasta bake packed with broccoli under a crunchy golden top, the kind of cozy casserole that tastes even better the next day.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.36 a serving
- 520 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 12 oz rotini
- 12 oz frozen broccoli, one bag
- 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, 10.75 oz
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 520 calories, 21 g protein, 56 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $1.36 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No frozen broccoli? Broccoli works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, cover and over high heat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the rotini 2 minutes less than the package says, adding the broccoli for the last 2 minutes. .
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 8 min
In the empty pot, the soup, milk, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Stir in 1½ cups cheddar, then the pasta and broccoli, until everything is coated.
Spread it in a 9x13-inch baking dish. the panko with the oil and scatter it over the top with the rest of the cheddar.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: To make it ahead, cover and chill it here for up to a day. Add 10 minutes to the bake.20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and on top.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 20 min
Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with broccoli and cheddar ›