Jared's Cheesy Shells with Bacon and Broccoli
Cheesy shells, bacon and broccoli all coated with a rich sauce made with Gruyere, Cheddar and Mozza. Baked to cheesy perfection, this is the ultimate family comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk or cream (or a mixture)
- 2 cups gruyere cheese
- 2 cups cheddar
- 1 cup mozza
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 2 tbsp butter (for bread topping)
- to taste salt and pepper
- 454 grams medium to small pasta shells
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped
- 6 pieces bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Cook your bacon until crispy and chop into bite sized pieces.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your shells and broccoli together for about 5-6 minutes (undercook the pasta as they will continue to cook in the oven in the sauce). Drain and set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan melt your butter. Mix in your flour and dijon mustard and let cook over medium heat for a couple minutes to make a roux. Add in a little salt and pepper. You want to make sure that you do cook out the flour mixture for awhile to cook the flour a bit so that it does not taste raw.
- Increase the heat to high and pour your broth and cream to your roux and mix constantly. Keep mixing until the mixture thickens. You will know it is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
- Turn the heat off and add in your cheeses and stir until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- In a food processor mix up your breadcrumbs with the remaining butter and parsley.
- In a large baking casserole dish mix in your pasta, broccoli, cheese sauce, bacon and stir. Spread your breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you like (optional). Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until browned a bubbly.