Broccoli mac and cheese combines a comfort food favorite with fresh steamed broccoli for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy!
This recipe makes a wonderful main or side dish. It’s hearty enough as a standalone dinner or will complement a variety of main courses. Serve the macaroni and cheese with broccoli with roasted chicken, steak, or these tasty mushroom pork chops.
Broccoli with cheese is a fantastic combination! That’s why it works so well in this dish. It is also great in this chicken and broccoli casserole, this simple broccoli chicken pasta, and a creamy broccoli cauliflower soup.
Ingredients
- Produce – Fresh broccoli works best for this recipe. If you must use frozen broccoli cook it to the lowest recommended time on the package and drain well. Then arrange it on a paper towel and pat the top dry with another paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Pasta – We use elbow macaroni, which is dry pasta shaped in short tubes. If you don’t have macaroni, then substitute another short tube or twisty pasta.
- Dairy – Butter to make the roux and milk for the creamy sauce. Whole milk or 2% milk work well. I use 2% because it is what I usually have on hand. Now for the cheese. Medium cheddar gives the mac and cheese a nice mellow flavor. I’ve used sharp, mild, a combination of cheddar and other cheeses and medium cheddar is by far my favorite.
- Condiments – Worcestershire sauce gives the sauce added flavor. A little goes a long way. If you are not familiar with Worcestershire sauce it has a strong flavor that works well with meat. Find it in the condiment section of most grocery stores and online.
- Spices – Salt, black pepper, mustard powder, garlic powder, and onion powder make the sauce extra tasty.
- Pantry – All purpose flour is used to make the roux to thicken the cheese sauce.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook to package directions for al dente (or the lowest suggested cooking time).
Try not to overcook the macaroni. Remove it from the heat and drain when it’s still a little firm in the center (al dente). It will continue cooking even after it is drained.
Tips for cooking pasta
- Use a large pot with plenty of water to prevent sticking and uneven cooking.
- Stir it often, especially for the first few minutes after you drop it in the water.
- Add a generous amount of salt to the water to season the pasta while it cooks.
- Test the pasta’s doneness halfway through the cooking time. Then gauge the remaining time from there. Do not rely solely on the cooking time on the package.
- Do not rinse the pasta with water unless you are making a cold pasta salad (like this macaroni salad) or need to cool it quickly to refrigerate it.
Steam the broccoli
- If you are starting with steam-in- the-bag variety cook it to package directions.
- To steam on the stove, add about ½ inch of water and the broccoli to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-5 minutes or until it reaches the desired tenderness.
- To steam in the microwave, add the broccoli to a microwave safe bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Cover it with a microwave safe plate and cook on high for one minute at a time until it reaches the desired tenderness (usually 3-5 minutes total). Be careful when lifting the plate to check on it because there will be steam accumulated.
Regardless of the method used to cook the broccoli, open/uncover after cooking to let the steam escape. Drain well.
Start the sauce
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stir frequently.
Slowly add the milk while stirring with a whisk. Continue adding and stirring until the sauce is smooth.
Next, add Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, mustard powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir well until incorporated.
Still on medium, let the sauce come to a simmer. This will take approximately 6-8 minutes, stir occasionally. Then lower the heat to medium-low to low as soon as it simmers.
Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes simmering gently. Stir often, especially when it starts to thicken and do not leave it unattended. Milk and milk based sauces can boil over quickly.
The sauce will thicken as it simmers, do not raise the heat because it will scorch the bottom of the sauce.
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir the sauce a few times and wait until it stops simmering.
Next, add the cheese a handful at a time. Stir until it melts and add another one. Continue adding and stirring until it is melted.
Place the pot back over medium heat. Add the broccoli and macaroni to the cheese sauce. Stir well.
Place on medium-low to low heat for a few minutes to warm through. Do not let it come to a simmer. Take it off the heat.
Taste the broccoli mac and cheese and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe tips
- Shred your own cheese. I am a fan of convenience ingredients and will use them as much as possible like in this creamy chicken and rice casserole. But pre-shredded is not the best choice when making a cheese sauce. Like in this broccoli mac and cheese or this chorizo cheese dip, your sauce will be much smoother if you shred your own cheese.
- Don’t overcook the pasta so it does not become mushy. Cook it to just al dente (firm on some packaging). The pasta will be put into the hot cheese sauce so it might continue cooking.
- Take the cream sauce off the heat and wait until it stops simmering and cools off some before adding the cheese. Overheating cheese can cause it to become grainy.
Storing and reheating
Let the macaroni and cheese cool and store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave until hot all the way through.
Alternatively, place the desired portion in a saucepan, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to loosen, and heat on medium heat until hot. Stir occasionally. You can also place it in an oven-safe dish, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to loosen it, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F until heat through.
To freeze the mac and cheese, place it in a freezer-safe container and refrigerate until it is chilled. Then, transfer it to the freezer. Cover well and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat – thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and follow the directions above.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni cooked to package directions for al dente (use other tube-shaped or spiral pasta, if desired)
- 8 ounces Broccoli Florets cut into bite sized pieces, steamed to desired doneness, and drained
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 4 tablespoons Flour
- 4 cups Milk whole milk and 2% milk work well
- 1 teaspoon Salt plus 1-2 tablespoons for the pasta water and extra at the end if needed
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 12 ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese hand shredded works best (we used medium cheddar)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook to package directions for al dente (or the lowest suggested cooking time). Drain well and reserve.
- Steam the broccoli in the microwave, stovetop, or following package directions. Regardless of the method used, open/uncover after cooking to let the steam escape. Drain well and reserve.
Start the sauce
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stir frequently.
- Add the milk while stirring with a whisk. Continue adding and stirring until the sauce is smooth.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, mustard powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir well until incorporated.
- Still on medium, let the sauce come to a simmer. This will take approximately 6-8 minutes, stir occasionally. Then lower the heat to medium-low to low as soon as it simmers.
- Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes simmering gently. Stir often, especially when it starts to thicken and do not leave it unattended.
- The sauce will thicken as it simmers, do not raise the heat because it will scorch the bottom of the sauce.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir the sauce a few times and wait until it stops simmering.
- Next, add the cheese a handful at a time. Stir until it melts and add another one. Continue adding and stirring until it is melted.
- Place the pot back over medium heat. Add the steamed broccoli and macaroni to the cheese sauce. Stir well and place on medium-low to low heat for about 5 minutes to warm through. Do not let it come to a simmer. Take it off the heat.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve and enjoy.
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