Broccoli and cheese pasta

A midweek vegetarian winner that all the family will love. Broccoli and cheese pasta florets are tossed with pasta tubes and an easy cheddar Parmesan sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 head broccoli, stem removed and florets chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 410g tin evaporated milk
• 300g/10½oz rigatoni
• 200g/7oz mature cheddar, grated
• handful grated Parmesan (or alternative vegetarian hard cheese)
• ½ lemon, zest and juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for Broccoli and cheese pasta

1. Put a sauté pan or frying pan over a medium–low heat, then add the oil and shallots. Cook for 3–5 minutes until softened and starting to colour, then add the garlic and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 2–3 minutes until softened, then add the evaporated milk.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta following pack instructions until al dente.

3. Gently simmer (do not boil) the sauce for around 10 minutes (the sauce will look very thin), then stir through the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Cook on low for another 2–3 minutes until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon nicely, do not allow it to boil or the sauce might curdle. If this happens, you can add some pasta water and stir through.

4. Drain the rigatoni (reserving some pasta water) and add the pasta to the sauce. Stir to combine and add a little pasta water to loosen, if required. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining Parmesan, lemon zest, a drizzle of oil and a twist of black pepper.

Broccoli and cheese pasta