Think of this recipe as my Italian version of mac and cheese. This creamy Parmesan baked pasta starts off with a rich bechamel sauce, then a heavy helping of both freshly grated Provolone and Parmesan, making it perfectly decadent and cheesy. I like to use shell pasta because the curves hold on to more of the cheese and the sauce, and broccoli florets add a little bit of greens in an otherwise indulgent dish. My favorite part, however, is the parmesan and panko breadcrumb mixture- it creates that perfect golden brown crunch on top that I love so much!

This is a wonderful dish to make for entertaining, because it can be entirely assembled ahead of time. Once you fold in the pasta, just set it in the fridge covered for up to two days. When it’s time to serve it up, sprinkle it with the panko topping, and set it in the oven until it’s bubbly perfection! I recommend to take it out of the fridge about an hour before it’s time to heat it up – when it reaches room temperature, it will cook more evenly in the oven.