Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Easiest, creamiest mac and cheese made in less than 30 min! Comfort food perfection with sneaked in veggies!
Featured Comment
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
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.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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.