Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cheesy Baked "Shells" and Broccoli

Tonight I made Real Simple's Cheesy Baked Shells and Broccoli...except even after specifically buying pasta shells, I accidentally used elbow macaroni! It didn't make a difference, but still. Oops!


The comments on the recipe had a lot of different suggestions, so I took a few of them and made my own variation. Besides using elbow macaroni instead of shells, I also decided to add some diced onions. I softened them in a skillet on medium heat and added them to the mixture. 

I also used fresh broccoli instead of frozen. The reason I chose the recipe was because I wanted to use ingredients that I already had in the house. First, I boiled the broccoli. Instead of draining it, I used a slotted spoon to remove it and then used the same water to cook the pasta to get as much of the broccoli flavor as possible. 

The final change I made was baking it at the end instead of broiling it. A lot of the comments suggested baking it at 450 for 20 minutes, so I chose to do that and it turned out so well!


I was really concerned after I put the pasta in the oven because I halved the recipe, but then added more pasta than I meant to. I was worried there wouldn't be enough cheese to add enough flavor, but I think the onions really cancelled out the lack of cheese. 

Added to the wish list: a dry pasta measurer! I am terrible at judging how much pasta to use. 

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