Easy-peasy cheesy pasta with broccoli

Preparation

A crowd-pleaser every time, you can't beat a comforting plate of cheesy pasta! You can use a couple of end slices of a loaf of bread to make breadcrumbs and any broccoli stalks can be sliced and kept in the fridge to be added to dishes such as stir-fries (see day 3) or frittatas. To measure the correct amount of pasta, a clenched fist is about one serving per person.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water up to the boil and cook the pasta according to preference. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside for a moment.

2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce. In a non-stick saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Slowly stir in the flour until the mixture has a sand-like consistency. Slowly whisk in the milk bit by bit, increasing to a medium heat and cook for a few minutes allowing the sauce to thicken.

3. Add mustard if you wish and then add in 200g of the cheese, and then season to taste with pepper. Stir well to make sure the cheese is fully melted into the sauce.

4. Place the cooked pasta into an ovenproof dish, and then pour over the cheese sauce.

5. Blitz your bread in a food processor to create breadcrumbs. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining cheese, and sprinkle this over the top of the dish before placing into a preheated oven at 200C/180C fan for 15 minutes.

6. Whilst the pasta dish is in the oven, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli until just tender.

7. Remove the pasta from the oven and dish up with the broccoli.