Italian broccoli & salmon bake

Italian broccoli & salmon bake

By Good Food
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(214 ratings)
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Prep: 25 mins - 35 mins Cook: 30 mins

Easy

Serves 4

Take a fresh look at broccoli with this creamy pasta bake

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal817
  • fat42g
  • saturates18g
  • carbs64g
  • sugars0g
  • fibre5g
  • protein49g
  • salt1.3g
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Ingredients

  • 250g penne
  • 300g broccoli, cut into large florets
    Broccoli

    Broccoli

    brok-o-lee

    Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name…

  • 25g butter
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 25g plain flour
  • 600ml milk

    Milk

    mill-k

    One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a complete food. While cow…

  • 100g mascarpone
  • 8 sundried tomatoes (preserved in olive oil), drained and thickly sliced
  • 2 tbsp small capers (optional) rinsed to remove excess salt or vinegar
    Capers

    Capers

    kay-per

    Capers are the small flower buds of the Capparis shrub, which grows in the Mediterranean. As…

  • 8 anchovy fillets, halved (optional)
    Anchovy

    Anchovy

    ann-choe-vee

    Silver, slender salty little fish found mainly around the Black Sea and the Pacific and Atlantic…

  • 10 large fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
    Basil

    Basil

    ba-zil

    Most closely associated with Mediterranean cooking but also very prevalent in Asian food, the…

  • 4 fresh skinless salmon fillets
    Salmon

    Salmon

    sam-on

    With its delicate, sweet flesh and wide availability, salmon is one of the most popular fish.…

  • 50g mature cheddar, finely grated
    Cheddar

    Cheddar

    Ched-ah

    Once cheddar was 'Cheddar', a large, hard-pressed barrel of cheese made by a particular…

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C and get out an ovenproof dish (measuring 20 by 30cm, and about 5cm deep). Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When it is boiling rapidly, tip in the pasta with a generous sprinkling of salt. Give it a stir, return to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli, then return the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes more, until the broccoli is on the firm side of just tender. Drain well.

  2. While the pasta is cooking, put the butter, flour and milk in a large pan and heat, whisking or stirring continuously, until it thickens to make a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, sun-dried tomatoes, capers (if using), anchovies (if using) and basil, then add the pasta and broccoli and season well.

  3. Halve the salmon fillets widthways (you will see that there is an obvious divide on each fillet) then place the pieces in a single layer on the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon the broccoli mixture on top, then scatter with the grated cheddar. (You can chill this for up to 4 hours if you want to get ahead.)

  4. Bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is just starting to bubble round the edges and the mixture is pale golden – don’t let it go too dark or the fish will overcook.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Winter_Snake's picture
Winter_Snake
10th Sep, 2018
5.05
This was amazing! I made this for my dad because he barely eats all day since he's working. He absolutely loves it!! He's Italian himself and said it tastes 'proper'. I don't understand how everyone thinks it tastes bland, the textures and flavours are amazing! The salmon is soft, the broccoli has a slight crunch, the pasta is smooth and the sauce is creamy. I added a little nutmeg to the cream sauce. I also sprinkled thyme, pepper and salt on top before I put it in the oven. I cooked up some crispy bacon to sprinkle on top right at the end, to give it that pop!
chicadiee
11th Aug, 2018
I came across this recipe as I was trying to use up ingredients in the fridge. I left out the anchovies and capers as I don't like them. My initial thought was the taste was quite bland but then I changed my mind! It's subtle but the texture is great.
Murphy33
26th Feb, 2018
5.05
Really nice meal. We went easy on the mascarpone to reduce the calories & saturated fats. We also omitted the capers & anchovies. This can be made earlier in the day & put in the oven just before you want to eat.
elless23
30th Jan, 2018
I’ve made this before and followed receipt to the T and think it’s delicious but it is quite a heavy dish and very high in calories. Tonight I made it using a milk alternative (Alpro coconut), no mascarpone, and a small amount of Parmesan. Also didn’t have sun dried tomato so used a dollop or two of red pesto swirled into the sauce. Much lighter, still creamy and still very tasty.
Quality Street 35
22nd Jan, 2018
5.05
Absolutely love this recipe - I'd make it every week if I thought the family would let me! It's full of flavour but simple to make and the whole family enjoys it. I used the whole tub of mascarpone and never weigh out the cheddar - I add until it seems the right amount. I can't understand how people find all of these flavours bland. I always use the anchovies and sun-dried tomatoes, but often miss out the capers.
Kazmangieri
9th Oct, 2017
2.05
I agree with other posts, it was pretty bland, won't be making this recipe again! Disappointing!
tinagwee
27th Mar, 2017
2.05
Quite bland and tasteless so I added some dill mustard and it was much better
angiefox1964@ou...
15th Jan, 2017
How can this recipe possibly be made for 74p per portion? Salmon, mascarpone, Cheddar, anchovies etc are not cheap. Surely this is a mistake? Looks good though!
dundevan
25th Nov, 2016
Cooked this more or less per recipe for a family of five and it went down very well. Only alteration was to use gruyere instead of cheddar and like some others used more mascarpone and plenty of seasoning. One of the best recipes we've had from this site.
benni's picture
benni
11th Oct, 2016
5.05
Absolutely one of our favourites!! I doubled the amount of roux, and added a whole 250g tub of mascarpone to the sauce mix. Really delicious and have made it several times now.

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izzymars1
15th Dec, 2016
can u re-cook this dish because I've heard you cant re-cook salmon, but is it different because its in a pasta bake?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
20th Dec, 2016
Yes, you can reheat this dish, as long as its piping hot throughout. We have full information on how to cool, store and reheat food here.
Zoecheese
7th Aug, 2014
Please tell me the nutritional information is for the whole thing and not per serving?
somethinggood's picture
somethinggood
6th Jul, 2013
This may be thick - but what is Penne? I have neva heard of it b4 or seen it. I may recognise it under a different name! is it the pasta shown in the picture? and is this recipie watery - i hate watery bakes :(
queenbubblemummy
13th Nov, 2015
5.05
Penne is the pointy pasta like in the picture, and no it is not watery at all.
Southdownsnosh
28th Apr, 2018
I've made this a couple of times: the first time I kept to the recipe, the second I didn't bother with the flour and butter but just whisked up the mascarpone with a little vegetable stock to make a sauce and that worked well. I also used wild Alaskan salmon the second time, and it had a much stronger flavour.
macinnes48
17th Mar, 2014
4.05
I used sun dried tomato pesto to taste, in place of sun dried tomatoes and mascarpone. I also left out the capers and anchovies as I didn't have any. Really tasty and easy.
Arran45
4th Feb, 2014
I left out the anchovies but added 2 cloves of crushed garlic instead.
lil1ady
13th Sep, 2013
I used a ready made cheese sauce from the fresh pasta section of the supermarket as I had this in the fridge to use up. A great way to speed up the preparation and tasted fab.