Delverde Pasta Shells With Goat Cheese & Broccoli

I was contacted by Delverde pasta recently and asked if I would like to be included in their upcoming advertisement in Cucina Italiana magazine as a featured food blogger. Knowing the quality of Delverde pasta, I was very happy to partner with them. I decided to make a baked pasta dish using Delverde shell pasta with a creamy goat cheese sauce.

I love goat cheese, and could eat it on a daily basis and love to incorporate it into many of my recipes. When making a baked pasta dish you really do have to be careful to undercook the pasta initially as the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce during the baking period.

There is nothing worse than mushy pasta because it was overcooked! I was extremely happy that this Delverde brand pasta turned out perfectly, and even remained “al dente” after it was baked. The shells cupped the creamy sauce perfectly, and I added a crunchy, crisp coating on top for texture.

Delverde’s pasta factory is located at the foot of the mountain immersed in the Majella National Park in the Central Apennines of Abruzzo. Set against this breathtaking scenery, amidst little nestled villages and wheat fields where spring waters run pure, Delverde makes pasta of the highest quality, selecting only the best durum wheat semolina which they refine to perfection.

The purity of the air infuses Delverde products with the qualities that the discerning customer looks for in a well-balanced diet of good, healthy, natural food. Looking for a store close by to find Delverde pasta? Use this handy store locator.

In the upcoming Cucina Italiana magazine coming out the end of this month, I was asked to share my pasta secret.

“My pasta secret is to keep things really simple, and to use only fresh, seasonal ingredients in my pasta dishes.”

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Delverde Pasta Shells With Goat Cheese & Broccoli

Delverde Pasta Shells With Goat Cheese & Broccoli

Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

For The Sauce:

  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
  • 3 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
  • 10 Ounces Grated Fontina Cheese
  • 1 Cup Soft Goat Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 4 Cups Broccoli Florets, Steamed Until Tender
  • 1 Pound Delverde Pasta Shells

Topping:

  • 1 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Minced
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Cups Coarsely Chopped Fresh Breadcrumbs
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch oven-proof baking dish.
  2. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.
  3. Cook, whisking continuously until just lightly colored.
  4. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking to blend.
  5. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is creamy and thick, whisking often.
  6. Reduce the heat to low, then add the fontina and goat cheese mixing well.
  7. Season with salt and pepper and continue to stir until the sauce is very smooth.
  8. Keep the sauce warm while you cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water, removing it 2 to 3 minutes less than the package recommended cooking period.
  9. Drain well and return the pasta to the pot.
  10. Add the sauce and broccoli to the pasta mixing well.
  11. Pour the pasta into the prepared casserole dish.
  12. In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients together with your fingertips, then sprinkle over top of the pasta.
  13. Bake the pasta until golden brown on top and bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Did you make this recipe?

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4 Comments

  1. Deborah, congratulations on the hook up with Delverde. I have become hooked on you myself. Trying out your recipes and grading you with Home Runs over and over again. I have rated you at the top of the Website chefs. Keep me with your mailing list “Forever Italian” forever!! Diz.

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