Gotta love when you open your email to find a recipe your inbox and you’re so excited by what you see there, you decide you MUST try it that evening. I had all but a couple ingredients and I was willing to stop for the rest.

That’s right folks, it was cheesy broccoli with shells. I liked the idea, but it looked like it was missing one thing: flavor. So I tweaked the recipe juuuust a little to give it that extra su’m su’m.

Cheesy Broccoli With Shells

Ingredients
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
3 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups grated Cheddar
1/2 onion
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 16 oz. package frozen broccoli florets

Directions

  1. Pre-heat broiler
  2. Cook pasta to al denté
  3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and onions in a large pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
  4. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and stir until melted. Stir in thyme; salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Add broccoli and pasta and toss
  6. Transfer to a broilerproof 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1⁄2 cup of cheese. Broil until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

If I had remembered to take a picture of the food before we all grubbed down, you’d be drooling right now. But trust that everyone was suitably comforted with this delicious dish.

Its ok to be jealous. But better than that, try it for yourself. It’s super easy.