This bechamel based white sauce cheesy pasta is beyond satisfying. The veggies give it a nice balance and a little crunch. The best part of this cheese party is that it comes out to less than $2 dollars a serving. Bougie with a budget!
The best advice I can give for this recipe is prep everything you can before hand! When you make the sauce it gets a bit fast paced, but not difficult, so be ready.
Slice the zucchini and yellow squash into rounds and then slice rounds in half. Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Cut mozzarella cheese into 1/2 inch cubes. Make broccoli into florets.
Season vegetables (except broccoli) with Italian seasoning. Add minced Garlic and cook with olive oil in pan on stove top in batches for a few minutes to soften. Place in bowl once done.
Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan with olive oil. Preheat oven at 400.
Cook ziti in large pot according to instructions on box. Make sure you salt the water! You are gonna want it to be a little al-dente. Drain and return to pot.
Here's when things get tricky. Put milk in glass measuring cup and heat in four 30 second increments in the microwave. Stir between increments.
Heat up butter in a saucepan, stir frequently. Add flour and whisk to combine. Try not to let it brown but you want it to bubble a bit.
Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you go. Bring the mixture up to a boil and you might have to use a spatula against the pan to make sure nothing sticks to the edges. Keep whisking! Once boiled, reduce to a simmer for about 5-6 minutes. It should get nice and thick.
Take off the stove and add the red pepper flakes, 1 cup of the Parmesan, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk this entire mixture together. Make sure the cheese gets all melty and smooth.
Add half of the vegetables to the pasta pot. Pour white sauce over the pasta. Stir well to coat everything. Add half of the mozzarella cubes, folding them into the pasta. If you don't know how to "fold", watch Schitt's Creek. :) (Just keep flipping it around in the pot)
Pour half of pasta into the 9 x 13" casserole dish. Add the rest of the vegetables. Pour the rest of the pasta over. Top with the rest of the mozzarella cubes and remaining parmesan.
Bake in oven for about 30 minutes. You can broil for a minute or two at the end to get the yummy bubbled cheese.
Once pasta is in the oven, steam the broccoli. I like it just underdone so you still get a nice crunch. Serve with the pasta.
Notes- I loved this reheated as well and it makes a lot of food! Feel free to freeze if you don't want to eat all at once. This pasta is rich, so I recommend eating with some yummy garlic bread!
Let me know if you give it a try!
LOVE this recipe. I made a few adjustments to fit my taste/diet. I used almond milk and I don’t taste any difference. I also included the broccoli with the cooking of the zucchini and squash. If you like spicy like me, add a touch of Tabasco when serving. So good!
This recipe was such a treat! It turned a boring weeknight meal into something really special. It’s so well balanced and is great as a side or meal. The sauce is so easy and comes out perfectly. I’m definitely adding this to the dinner rotation!