Preheat oven to 375°F. Measure out all your ingredients and set aside.
Bring a medium pot of water to a light boil. Reduce heat to medium and add your fresh tortellini. After 1 minute, add your broccoli to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and al dente and pasta is tender. Drain and set aside.
Using the same (now empty) pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour in slowly, whisking with a metal whisk constantly for 2 minutes while it bubbles and darkens in color. This roux will thicken our sauce.
Pour heated milk into the butter-flour mixture and whisk well. Bring to a light boil, whisking constantly for 1 minute or until the mixture has thickened.
Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, basil, and garlic powder. Working in 2-3 batches, add half the gruyere cheese and all of the parmesan cheese, whisking in between each batch to gently melt the cheese. Add pasta and broccoli and mix to coat.
Transfer mixture to a medium baking dish and sprinkle with remaining gruyere cheese. Top with foil and bake at 375°F on the center rack for 15 minutes.
Uncover and top with crushed crackers. Bake an additonal 5 minutes to crisp the cracker coating and serve right away while hot and bubbly!
Any additonal salt and pepper may be added to taste as well as an optional topping of crusehed red peper flakes for a kick!
Notes
No Gruyere cheese? No problem! You can use white cheddar cheese or Gouda cheese in it’s place. Fontina also makes a flavorful swap!Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on choice of optional toppings and swaps and enjoy!