Yummy Broccoli Recipe

At Jen's recommendation, I cooked the Broccoli and Parmesan casserole from the most recent Cooking Light issue. Am I glad I did! This is by far my new favorite way to make broccoli - and it was so easy.

Broccoli and Parmesan Casserole serves 8 @ 3 pts.
Note: I halved this recipe and cooked it in an 8x8 dish.

• 8 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets (about 2 pounds)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard(I didn't have, so used my standby - red pepper flakes)
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons diced pimientos, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 12 garlic melba toast rounds (I used onion melba toast rounds)

Preheat oven to 400°. Cook broccoli in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. (I didn't feel like boiling water, so I steamed the broccoli in a veggie steamer while cooking the rest of the stuff.) Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, salt, and dry mustard in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat; gradually add the fat-free milk and chicken broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook for 8 minutes or until it is thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add shredded cheddar cheese and 6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in pimientos and pepper. Add broccoli, tossing to coat.

Spoon the broccoli mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place garlic melba toast rounds in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. (I just crushed with a rolling pin.) Combine toast crumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle evenly over broccoli mixture. Spray top of casserole lightly with cooking spray. (I completely missed this step, so didn't do it!) Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Try it ... you won't be sorry!