This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Roasted broccoli and bacon conchiglie bake with lemon crème fraîche
Course: Main mealsCuisine: BritishDifficulty: EasyServings
4
servingsPrep time
10
minutesCooking time
25
minutesTotal time
40
minutesA wonderful version of macaroni cheese with a delicious crunchy topping. So quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
300g conchiglie or other favourite pasta shape.
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into small bits (the size of rough granola
160g free-range bacon lardons
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 tablespoons of olive oil
400g crème fraîche
100g spinach, roughly chopped
½ lemon, juice only
1 tspn sea salt (optional)
30g parmesan cheese
40g panko or fresh white breadcrumbs
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ fan/220℃/gas 7. Cook the conchiglie in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain. While the pasta. is cooking, tip the broccoli, bacon and thyme into a large roasting tin, mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then transfer. to the oven and roast for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks.
- Stir the cooked, drained pasta through the roasted broccoli and bacon, along with another tablespoon of olive oil, the crème fraîche, spinach, lemon juice and sea salt (if using).
- Scatter the dish with the parmesan and breadcrumbs, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil, then bake for a further 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crunchy. Serve hot.
Notes
- Feel free to use any cheese you have leftover in the fridge; blue cheese or cheddar cheese would work well.