Family Tradition- "Broccoli and Cheese Sauce"

We all have those meals that spark nostalgia for us. Something that takes us back to our childhood. Growing up in an Italian family we did not eat the typical "American" meals for dinner. My mother never made tacos, meatloaf, or shepard's pie. I actually never had any of those foods until I was an adult! We actually ate mostly vegetarian until I was in grade school and even after that meat, other than chicken, was pretty rare. Because of this my favorite childhood meals are definitely not as familiar as most kids! My favorites are pasta e fagioli, Sunday gravy with eggs, stuffed artichokes, and today's meal- broccoli and cheese sauce. I've done previous blog posts on a few of these meals that you should totally check out!

As for "Broccoli and cheese sauce" i'm sure this was my mother's healthier version of Kraft. There's really nothing to this simple meal but the taste is just sooo good! My mom always uses Jarlsberg cheese- it is a cow's milk cheese that melts all smooth and buttery. It gets its name because it originates from Jarlsberg Norway.  How my mother came to use this type,  I have no idea!  

Jarlsberg cheese can be found in most supermarkets next to the chunks of Swiss. Make sure to get the full fat version because the Jarlsberg Lite does not melt as well. This dinner comes together in no time and only uses 2 pots- bonus! It was a school night staple in our house. To save time, mother would always cook the pasta in the same water she used to cook the broccoli. While the pasta cooked she whipped up this amazing cheese sauce and then dinner was on the table.  "Broccoli and Cheese Sauce" is warm, ooey and gooey- pure childhood comfort food! My kids absolutely LOVE this dinner! In fact Lucia now makes it for us and I'm sure one day she will teach her own kids to do the same, and I LOVE that!

Total cooking time: 20 minutes

What you'll need:

1 lb pasta

2 cups Jarlsberg cheese, grated

2 cups milk

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

1 large head of broccoli

                                        

First get a big pot of salted water on to boil.  Gather the cheese sauce ingredients and rinse the head of broccoli.

When the water boils, toss in the head of broccoli and cook about 5-6 minutes until you can pierce it with a fork. Remember, we want to keep it slightly firm so it doesn't get all mushy in our pasta dish. 

                                    

Once cooked take a slotted spoon (or get yourself a spider!)  and remove the broccoli from the water. Cut into bite size pieces and set aside. Then toss the pasta in.

Time to make the cheese sauce!  This requires constant attention so it's a perfect opportunity to enlist a helper- this is how my girls started :-)

Put a small saucepan on medium high heat- add in the butter and when it is all melted stir in the flour until smooth and no lumps. Continue to give it a stir for a minute or so to "cook off" the flour taste so that your sauce will taste more cheesy.  

Then add in the milk and with either a whisk or large spoon, stir continuously until the milk begins to thicken- first it will just start to coat the spoon like this:

Then once it has considerably thickened (about 5-7 minutes), lower heat to low and stir in the grated Jarlsberg cheese. It will be stringy at first and then will smooth out and become nice and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and stir it all up- I always loved the sound this made as a kid!  

You can then stir in the broccoli or just top your dish off with it- depending on how picky your kids are!

And there you have it- "Broccoli and Cheese Sauce"! I hope this soon becomes one of your family's favorites! xo