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Beef and broccoli pasta bake

What’s more warming than a pasta bake? This delicious beef and broccoli pasta bake recipe is high in calcium, fibre, iron and protein and is packed full of vegetables making it a healthy lunch or dinner option for the family.

Serves: 4

Time to make: 35 mins

Total cost: $26.60 / $6.65 per serve

(at time of publication)

Ingredients

1 medium capsicum
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g lean beef mince
600g vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
400g can no-added-salt chopped tomatoes
250g wholemeal penne
2 cups broccoli florets or 1 bunch broccolini, chopped
⅓ cup grated parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons shaved parmesan, to serve
3 cups mixed salad leaves
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, sliced
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Thinly slice half the capsicum. Set aside for salad. Finely chop remaining half. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over high. Sauté onion, garlic and chopped capsicum, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until softened.
Add beef and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add all tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens and tomatoes break down.
Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Add broccoli for last minute of cooking time. Drain. Stir pasta and broccoli into tomato sauce. Lightly grease an 8-cup-capacity baking dish. Add pasta-broccoli mixture.
Preheat grill. Sprinkle pasta bake with grated parmesan. Grill for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden.
Meanwhile, combine salad ingredients with shaved parmesan and vinegar. Serve pasta with salad.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Kilojoules 2220kJ

Calories 530cal

Protein 38g

Total fat 15g

–Saturated fat 5g

Carbohydrates 55g

–Sugars 14g

Dietary fibre 13g

Sodium 160mg

Calcium 250mg

Iron 6mg

Note: Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. For a guide to purchasing healthier packaged goods and general grocery items see here.