Pasta casserole with meatballs and broccoli

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400g penne
• 500 g meatball(s), small, ready-made or homemade
• 750 g broccoli from 2 heads or frozen
• 1 onion(s), diced
• 3 slice(s) Black Forest ham, coarsely sliced
• 200 g Gouda, grated
• Salt
• nutmeg
• Broth, granulated
• Water
• Pinch(s) of chili powder

Instructions

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

Penne with broccoli

Brown the meatballs (even store-bought ones!) in a casserole dish as wide as possible, then remove from the pan. Sauté the diced onions in the pan juices. Then add the broccoli florets and sauté them with very little stock until tender, according to the package instructions for frozen goods. Just before the end of the cooking time, add the ham. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Add the pasta to the broccoli and mix gently. Add the meatballs (it doesn’t matter if they’ve cooled down in the meantime). Top with cheese, season with nutmeg and a touch of chili, and let them simmer on the stovetop for 10 minutes over low heat, until the cheese melts. Of course, you can also bake the casserole in the oven at the end, but I find it moister and better this way.