2 cups (roughly 250g) pasta (macaroni, penne or farfalle work well. I used farfalle here.)
1½ cups home-made vegetable/chicken stock (or use granules if you don’t have stock on hand)
½ tsp sea salt (optional)
1 cup full-cream milk
200g cheese, coarsely shredded (I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. You can also try Swiss, Gruyere and Monterey Jack.)
1 cup cauliflower/broccoli, cut into small florets (optional)
Black pepper to taste