Baked Pasta Primavera

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/4 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup diced baked ham or prosciutto
1/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs


Grease a large baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse. Toss with oil. Spoon into a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place broccoli in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover. Cook broccoli over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cool running water. Add broccoli to pasta in bowl.

In another pan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, 2 cups Parmesan, mustard and pepper; fold in ham. Add sauce to pasta and broccoli; mix well. Spoon pasta mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.


Helpful Tips

You can make your own Italian-flavored bread crumbs by adding 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil to 1 cup plain dried bread crumbs.

Mix 'n' Match

For a colorful meatless dish, substitute coarsely chopped red bell pepper for the ham.