Broccoli Mac & Cheese! Yay!

So some folks put cheese on their broccoli. A lot of people put cheese on macaroni. Why not put it all together? Ok, so this idea came from a conversation I had last night, the mac & cheese part, not the broccoli. I just happen to like broccoli. Judge me, if you like. Also, I had a friend supply me with this one.
  • 1 small winter (butternut, acorn) peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks
  • olive oil
  • 1 bunch of basil, stems removed
  • 2 slices good brown bread, stale or dried out in the oven
  • 1/2 a small head of broccoli roughly chopped
  • 4 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
  • 1.75 cups grated white cheddar cheese
  • 1.75 cups grated gruyere cheese
  • a large handful of yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cups macaroni elbows
Ok, so:
Preheat your oven to 400ºF with a rack in the middle. Then get a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Now arrange the squash on a large baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the squash. Then bake for about 25 minutes until nice and golden.

While that's baking, pulse 1/2 of the basil, the bread, the broccoli and a chug of olive oil in a food processor until you have a really fine crumby, dusty, thing. It's going to be a bit damp, but it's ok. Transfer this to a small bowl. IN another bowl, combine the creme fraiche and the grated cheeses.

Rinse out your food processor bin and throw in the cherry tomatoes and the remaining basil. Pulse this a bit to break it up and them throw in the cheesy mixture you just put in a bowl. Now stir this up really well.

Now boil your pasta in well-salted water until properly done. Drain when done, but save about a cup of the pasta water for later. Return the hot pasta to the pan and add the cheese-tomato mix & the squash to the pan. Stir this well. Now, add the pasta water to thin out all of this stickiness. It's fine if it looks a little runny.

Quickly transfer all of this to a casserole or a baking dish. Sprinkle the green breadcrumbs over the top of this all and throw it in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is crunchy. When that happens, pull the casserole out and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy!

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