Preparation

• 1
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, 180 degrees fan oven.
• 2
  2. First prepare the vegetables. Cut the tenderstem broccoli into short lengths, or into small florets if using the usual broccoli heads. Wash and slice the mushrooms, not too thinly. Peel and chop the spring onions finely. Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves.
• 3
  3. Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted water, following the instructions on the packet and making sure not to overcook it. Place in a large bowl after draining well.
• 4
  4. Place the broccoli in a steamer and cook for just 3-4 minutes.
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  5. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over a low heat and lightly cook the mushrooms for a minute or two, along with the crushed garlic cloves. Turn off the heat and stir in the spring onions and half of the chopped tomatoes.
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  6. Add the broccoli and the mushroom mixture to the pasta and mix well together. Add and stir in the hot stock a little at a time. Stir in 150g of the mature cheddar.
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  7. In another smaller bowl, mix the cream cheese with the mustard and tomato puree. Beat the eggs and stir into the cream cheese. Add the mixture to the pasta, stirring really well, then season.
• 8
  8. Pour the pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish, arrange the remaining tomatoes on the top, cut side up, and sprinkle on the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes
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  the topping should be bubbling and golden brown.
• 10
  9. Wash and toss together the watercress and salad leaves, then add and mix in the sliced cucumber. Serve the watercress salad with a lemon wedge to dress it, and a generous helping of cheesy pasta.
• 11
  You can customise this recipe to suit your family’s taste in vegetables
• 12
  try peas or halved sugarsnap peas instead of broccoli if you prefer, or perhaps sweetcorn, or even sliced carrots.
• 13
  Try using a different cheese if you would like a milder flavour
• 14
  a creamy Cheshire or Lancashire, or just a milder cheddar. For a lower fat version, you could replace the cream cheese with quark.