Cheesy Baked Pasta with Vegetables

This was very simple and delicious. Just thought I would share.

Serves 8

Active: 15 min

Total: 40 min

Ingredients:

12 oz bowtie pasta

1 bag (12 oz) broccoli florets**

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the dish

2 shallots, chopped**

1 package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms

4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach

5 oz fontina cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp grated parmesan

1. Heat ove to 425. Butter a shallow 3-qt baking dish.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the broccoli during the last 3 minutes of cooking; drain and return to pot.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes; stir in spinach. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the fontina and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan.

5. Pour sauce into pot with pasta and broccoli and toss to coat. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

6. Bake about 10 min or until beginning to brown.

* Adapted from Women's Day Magazine. November 2010

** Instead of the bag of broccoli, I used two fresh heads.

** Instead of the shallots (which I couldn't find), I used 1 small onion.

Serve it later option (Which I did and it worked great):

1. After completing step 5, let casserole cool for 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2. On the night you'd like to serve it, remove casserole for refrigerator and replace plastic wrap with foil. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes; uncover and bake until beginning to brown, 10 minutes.