Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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The EASIEST and CREAMIEST mac and cheese made in less than 30 min! Comfort food perfection! And it is the perfect way to sneak in those greens!
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Greetings from Paris!!! We hopped on a flight from Indianapolis to JFK to Paris, except our luggage didn’t quite follow us all the way to France.
So we’re drowning our sorrows in croissant after croissant after croissant. It really seems to be helping.
But in the meantime, for those of you getting ready for those New Year’s resolutions, I have my favorite mac and cheese recipe to share today.
Now when I say resolutions, I’ll be eating kale and kale starting January 1st. So for these last 3 days, let’s indulge and eat our hearts out with the creamiest mac and cheese ever.
I also did you guys a favor and added broccoli.
The broccoli is good for you – promise.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese: Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute penne, elbow macaroni, ziti or fusilli.
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, adding them in during the last 5 minutes when cooking your pasta shells.
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.
Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can I omit the Dijon mustard or substitute it with something else? My husbands loathes any kind of mustard. He always can taste it. I have absolutely no clue how but he always knows if it’s in a recipe.
You can omit! 🙂
Turned out really good. Used the tip from another commenter about using the boiling pasta water on the brocolli.
What is half and half?
A mixture of equally “half” milk and “half” cream.
This looks amazing!! How many calories is it?
Nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Is the half and half necessary? Could you just use more whole milk instead?
Half and half is best but milk can be substituted.
This was sooooo good!!! My two little girls like their Mac and cheese a bit saucy so we added a little more milk, and also added chicken. It was delicious! We also put the broccoli in the strainer with the pasta to steam it a bit (we like a bit of crisp to the broccoli too) before putting it in the pan based on the advice of another comment, and it was perfect. Definitely a keeper!
I made this the other night and it was super easy! I used the new Barilla pronto pasta (ready to eat in the bag) and it came together in minutes! I think I’m loving that new pasta!
This method sounds like a great idea. I love a good, easy mac n’ cheese & adding fresh broccoli is a healthy addition. Can’t wait to make it!
Daughter wanted Mac and Cheese from scratch for dinner so I thought I would give this recipe a try. Another damn good meal from Damn Delicious.
P.S. Daughter said “that woman is a genius”
This sounds great! My husband only likes raw broccoli, not cooked, so this will be perfect for him. I also like a bit of crunch.
I love your recipes! Also, if I want a little entertainment, I come and read all the comments people leave, some I just can’t help but laugh out loud. You do a great job answering. 🙂
Sorry, but is it just raw/fresh broccoli? I can’t imagine just 4 min of stirring in hot pasta/cheese is enough to soften it.
Yes, the recipe calls for fresh broccoli. If you prefer a more cooked-broccoli texture, you can cook them ahead of time. It all depends on personal preference. Hope that helps!
I added the brocolli to the sauce before the cheese and let it simmer. Came out perfectly
Awesome!
I put the broccoli in the colander, then drained the pasta over it. I kept the pasta and broccoli warm in the pot while I made the sauce and it was cooked perfectly.
Great tip! We just made this for dinner and it was so yummy I topped it with Panko breadcrumbs and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes too.
Great idea, & easy too. I’ll try this method. I love a good mac & cheese & adding broccoli is a terrific idea.
Well, that just flat out looks damn delicious! 🙂 Pinning and thanks for sharing.
This sounds yummy – I will try it out today!!!
raw broccoli? seems like it should be lightly steamed. maybe 2.5 – 3 minutes in the microwave.
I think YOU should be lightly steamed for 2.5 – 3 minutes in the microwave.
Ha!
This is a site for food not a street brawl.
Yep, not a site for a street brawl. Couple of comments to make the dish correct. You have to cook the broccoli florets or it’s chews like you are trying to mash up some weeds with a creamy pasta dish. Also, need to add some flavor, simply adding creole seasoning to this dish helped immensely. Oh, and for those vegetarians please don’t listen to me say you need a little bacon grease or bacon.