Pasta casserole with broccoli and Mornay sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 25 g butter
• 30 g flour
• 500 ml milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 100 g cream
• 30 g cheese (e.g. medium-aged Gouda, spicy, Cheddar, Tilsiter, Emmental)
• 1 tbsp cream, whipped
• 500 g broccoli
• 500 g minced meat
• 500 g pasta (e.g. Gemelli)
• salt water
• Salt and pepper, white from the mill
• Paprika powder
• nutmeg
• 2 packs of mozzarella

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat without allowing it to brown. Then, gently sauté the flour in the melted butter for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, slowly add the 500 ml of milk, whisking until smooth. Simmer for about 20 minutes to remove some of the flour flavor, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk the egg yolk with 100 g of cream, and stir in. Strain the sauce through a sieve, add the cheese, and melt while stirring. Do not allow the sauce to boil further, or the cheese may clump. Finally, fold in the whipped cream. Alternatively, you can use a splash of unwhipped cream. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little milk. Trim the broccoli and cut it into small florets. The stalk can also be cut into small cubes and used. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the broccoli to the pasta in the pot and let it simmer. Brown the minced meat in a pan and season with salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Drain the pasta and broccoli and place them in a casserole dish with the minced meat. Spread the sauce on top. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and spread it on top as well. Bake everything together in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-30 minutes. If necessary, increase the baking time until the mozzarella is nice and golden brown.