Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
by Chungah
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This easy broccoli mac and cheese is so dreamy and so creamy, made in less than 30 minutes! It’s speedy comfort food with sneaked in veggies!
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Why you’ll love broccoli mac and cheese
- Creamy comfort food. Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, a beloved feel good staple, and it’s an absolute family-favorite.
- Made with real cheese. Say goodbye to boxed mac and cheese! With real cheese and a thick, velvety cream sauce, this is a recipe you’ll be coming back to again and again.
- Sneaked-in veggies. The broccoli soaks up all the cheesy flavors, sneaking in fiber and vitamins for all the picky eaters! They won’t even notice the added veggies!
- Versatile, flexible recipe. This recipe is incredibly flexible and forgiving, substituting with what you have on hand, and even adding in leftover rotisserie chicken for added protein!
Prepping the broccoli
Preparing the broccoli depends on how you prefer your vegetables in mac and cheese.
- For tender broccoli: parboil the broccoli florets with the pasta during the last few minutes of the pasta cook time, about 3-4 minutes
- For crisp-tender broccoli: cut the broccoli into small florets and allow them to cook through when the cheese is added
- For blended broccoli: finely chop or pulse the broccoli in a food processor and let it cook through when the cheese is added
how to make broccoli mac and cheese
- Boil the pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water just until al dente, draining well.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the garlic and shallot in melted butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until fragrant.
- Make the roux. Stir in the flour until lightly browned, creating a roux and eliminating the raw flour taste.
- Add the liquids. Stir in the milk, half and half, Dijon, salt, and pepper until slightly thickened.
- Combine. Stir in the al dente pasta, broccoli florets and cheese (a handful at a time) until smooth. Pro tip: for extra protein and repurposing leftovers, stir in shredded rotisserie chicken with the cooked pasta.
- Serve. Serve warm.
Tools For This Recipe
Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions
Use short, ridge-shaped pasta to hold up sauce such as shells, elbows, penne or cavatappi.
Fresh broccoli florets will yield the best crisp-tender texture but frozen broccoli can absolutely be used if it is cooked and drained well (or the cheese sauce will be runny).
This really depends on personal preference. The broccoli florets (if chopped small) should cook through with the cheese in the last few steps but if you prefer softer broccoli, you can parboil them and add them in during the last few minutes when boiling the pasta.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of milk to restore some of the moisture, until warmed through and creamy.
Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ cups whole milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, half and half and Dijon until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta, broccoli and cheese until well combined, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use ridge-shaped pasta. Shells is perfectly bite-sized and well-suited for capturing sauces. Elbows, penne or cavatappi are also excellent options.
- Cook the pasta until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking in the warm cheese sauce.
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. Pre-packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can lead to grainy, gritty mac and cheese. Freshly grated cheese will melt uniformly, ensuring a smoother melt, better creamy texture, and richer flavors throughout.
- Stir in the cheese a handful at a time. This will prevent the sauce from becoming grainy or clumpy.
- Clean out the fridge. Add leftover rotisserie chicken or any lingering veggies such as zucchini, peas, spinach or kale.
Did you make this recipe?
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Just made this for me and my younger brother ; so easy to make. Tastes amazing , I added a lot of cheese and some pepper : coriander / hot dogs/ and chilli sauce . 10/10
I made this recipe today and it was delicious.. I chopped my broccoli smaller and didnt use as much. Also steamed it until slightly tender. Instead of a shallot, I used yellow onion. I used 8 oz of Velveeta, and seasoned it with seasoning salt. After it was all mixed together I sprinkled it with cheddar cheese and baked it until the cheese melted. Sooo delicious.
Can I make it with less milk and some more cheese? Or will it impact the cooking?
I am definitely making this recipe at home
quick, easy and so Delicious !!!
Thank you!
First site I have found interest in. Cooked 2 of your dishes so far. Came out perfect. Thanks. Cooking from your recipes again this eve
do you just throw in raw fresh broccoli or are you supposed to cook it with the pasta? I made this last night and the broccoli was so hard, seemed like i missed a step but didn’t see anything in the recipe that I was supposed to cook the broccoli.
The raw broccoli is cooked in step 4. If you prefer more cooked broccoli, you can cook it for longer to better suit your personal preferences.
If you don’t have shallots are there anything else that can be substitute for it?
You can substitute with a 1:1 ratio of shallots to onions. 🙂
5+ Creamy and wonderful!!! I had half a bag of frozen broccoli and used this. Wished I had more broccoli, I’d make again!!
Has anyone tried substituting whole milk for the 1 cup of half and half? Did it come out ok?
Hi Chungah, I am a 1st time poster. I have tried this recipe along with your pan sheet ones, my fav there. Love all of what you are doing. I’m retired (74) still in good shape and I usually make most breakfasts and lunches. My wife (polish decent) kicks me out of the kitchen so she can make dinner. lol. I’m not complaining there as I’m not exactly a great cook as she’s the best with great old recipe’s. I eat moderately and she doesn’t complain. Nor do I of her cooking. lol. And honestly just want to say how great both of us really enjoy your recipe’s even when we pick and choose along the way with yours as you have so many great variations. We really appreciate your effort of a great love of food to share with others. That’s special. And if Jana is a friend and helper with recipe’s, our best to her also. You both have a great thing going and sure great families. God Bless and thank you again. Let’s all eat on to keep smiles on faces. I raise a glass of cheer to you! Well, I mean tonight! It’s my turn for dinner.
Gary, you are the sweetest! Thank you so much. We appreciate you and love that you and your wife are enjoying our recipes so much!
Made this tonight and enjoyed it! So as of now we’re friends. But all bets are off tomorrow when my Rockies come for your Dodgers
Thanks, Diana!
Can you use frozen broccoli instead?
I recommend using fresh broccoli whenever possible.
Unfortunately my fresh broccoli was unusable so I substituted with a bag of frozen that I threw in with the pasta last few minutes of cooking. Turned out great! Family loved the recipe.
I will try it on my granddaughter. I love butters on instagram
very good. Thank you for sharing!
As a Canadian I am home to the capital of Mac and Cheese and as a veteran of home made Mac and cheeses I have a couple minor amendments.
Double the pasta.. One cup of cooked pasta barely feeds me forget the family. I used 2 cups of macaroni
The cheese should be apx 1 1/2 cups. Can adjust as neccsary
Steam the broccoli for 2-3 minutes overtop the pasta and add it at the end as stated
The rest of the recipe is as is. You’ll have plenty of sauce even with the pasta doubled, rest assured. Just made it this way and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you have recommendations for converting measurements to the metric system? I live in a country that doesn’t use the standard system and I find that straight conversion of oz to grams or liters doesn’t always work out.
Yes, there are many free online conversion calculators/charts that can easily be used! Here’s an example: http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/metric-conversion-charts.
All I have to say is OMG…. so. dang. good. I was worried at first because the cheese sauce was taking a while to thicken, but don’t worry for those who are trying this for the first time: it thickens at the last second and man oh man is it good.
Thank you Sam! So glad you liked it.
This was sooooo delicious! I like broccoli and I know that broccoli can help me lose weight . I will make this dish tomorrow
This recipe is a winner; easy to prepare and my family loved it! I lightly steamed the broccoli, added slightly more cheese, no Dijon (daughter hates all mustard), low fat milk, and it was super yummy. I have yet to try one of your recipes that I didn’t like. Thanks so much for being awesome and posting this recipe whilst dealing with lost luggage on your trip to Paris.
Thank you so much Vicki!
Made this today and it came out so creamy and delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
It’s one of my faves as well. So good!