How to make the yummiest macaroni and cheese ever with broccoli!
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Macaroni and cheese are hands down one of the most beloved recipes to ever exist! I mean, who can resist the cheesy, gooey, comforting charm of this timeless dish? Even the pickiest of eaters can’t resist the temptation of this delectable pasta!
I don’t know about you but my kids definitely went through a picky eater phase. In fact, one of them is still a bit picky, preferring chicken nuggets and mac and cheese over everything else. That’s actually how I decided it was time to start spicing up my mac and cheese recipes!
There are all kinds of ways to easily spice up mac and cheese! I tried it first with shredded chicken, but then I started thinking about what veggies I could mix in with my pasta. That’s when I landed on my best ever Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli!
Adding a little steamed broccoli to the mix was the perfect solution to get my daughter to actually enjoy the green veggie! Now she can’t get enough of it! Ready to try some of this delectable pasta? Here’s how to make my best ever Easy Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli.
Pasta Equipment
First, let’s go over my easy pasta equipment list. I don’t need a ton of kitchen tools, but since this recipe does involve a few stages I do need more than a handful of tools. Here’s what I use to make my scrumptious mac and cheese with broccoli:
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cooking pot, 6 Quart
- Mesh Colander
- Blending whisk
- Spatulas
- Steamer Basket
- Casserole dish 13×8 inch
- White cutting board
The Best Mac and Cheese Ingredients
Next, let me break down the best mac and cheese ingredients ever! At first, this list might look like a lot but once you see it’s just a bunch of seasonings and some typical pasta ingredients, you can see that there’s not really much to it. Here’s what I use to make the best ever mac and cheese:
Boiling pasta:
- 6 cups water
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 16 oz Elbows pasta– 1 box, uncooked
Mac & Cheese:
- 4 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- 3.5 cup Cheddar cheese
- 2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 cup Broccoli– steamed
- ½ cup bacon bits
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
- Here’s my recipe for Homemade Bread Crumbs!
How to Make Easy Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli
And now let’s move on to making this delectable pasta dish! From start to finish this recipe will probably take about an hour but half of that time is just for baking, so you don’t have to worry about it taking you forever. Here’s how to make the best ever mac and cheese with broccoli:
Steaming the Broccoli:
- First, cut the broccoli into medium size florets and measure out 3 cups of water with a measuring cup.
- Next, pour the water into the cooking pot, cover it with a lid, and bring the water to a boil.
- Then, place a steamer basket into the cooking pot above the water.
- Place the broccoli florets in the steamer basket, close the lid, and steam them over medium heat for 6-7 minutes.
- The broccoli is ready when it turns bright green and is still a little bit crunchy.
- Then, carefully remove the steamer basket from the pot and set the broccoli aside for later.
Cooking the Pasta:
- First, use the measuring cup and spoons to measure out all of the mac and cheese ingredients.
- Then, pour the water, olive oil, and salt into the cooking pot.
- Cover with a lid and bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the box of elbow pasta.
- Cook the pasta per the package instructions, for about 10-12 minutes.
- Next, position a colander in the sink or in a large heat-resistant bowl.
- Lastly, thoroughly drain the cooked pasta.
Making the Best Mac & Cheese:
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F and set out the cutting board with the steamed broccoli.
- Then, carefully cut the steamed broccoli florets into small pieces.
- Next, add the heavy cream, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the cooking pot.
- Continuously stir the ingredients with a blending whisk while bringing them to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, remove the sauce from the heat and add in the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.
- Blend the cheese into the sauce with a silicone spatula.
- Then, pour the cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
- Pour the homemade cheese sauce on top of the macaroni pasta.
- Then, add in the chopped broccoli florets.
- Next, add in the bacon bits.
- Mix all of the macaroni and cheese ingredients together with a spatula until completely combined.
- Then, cover the top of the mac and cheese generously with bread crumbs.
- Bake the broccoli mac and cheese in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Finally, remove the pasta dish from the oven and serve!
Mac and Cheese Storage
To store mac and cheese: transfer the cooled pasta dish to a shallow, airtight container or a Ziploc bag. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Always label the date on the outside of the container to keep up with freshness.
Moore Comfort Food Recipes
Pasta Recipes
Loved this scrumptious and satisfying mac and cheese dish? I’ve got a few more ideas of what you can mix in to make this pasta dish even more satisfying, plus a few more scrumptious pasta recipes for you to try!
Try this mac and cheese with:
- Shrimp on the Grill
- Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Breast
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Oven-Baked Lobster Tail
More scrumptious pasta recipes:
Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli
Equipment
- Casserole dish 13×8 inch
Ingredients
Boiling pasta
- 6 cups water
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 16 oz Elbows pasta 1 box, uncooked
Mac & Cheese
- 4 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Ground Pepper
- 3.5 cup Cheddar cheese
- 2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 cup Broccoli steamed
- ½ cup bacon bits
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Steaming the Broccoli
- First, cut the broccoli into medium size florets and measure out 3 cups of water with a measuring cup.
- Next, pour the water into the cooking pot, cover it with a lid, and bring the water to a boil.
- Then, place a steamer basket into the cooking pot above the water.
- Place the broccoli florets in the steamer basket, close the lid, and steam them over medium heat for 6-7 minutes.
- The broccoli is ready when it turns bright green and is still a little bit crunchy.
- Then, carefully remove the steamer basket from the pot and set the broccoli aside for later.
Cooking the Pasta
- First, use the measuring cup and spoons to measure out all of the mac and cheese ingredients.
- Then, pour the water, olive oil, and salt into the cooking pot.
- Cover with a lid and bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the box of elbow pasta.
- Cook the pasta per the package instructions, for about 10-12 minutes.
- Next, position a colander in the sink or in a large heat-resistant bowl.
- Lastly, thoroughly drain the cooked pasta.
Making the Best Mac & Cheese
- First, preheat the oven to 350°F and set out the cutting board with the steamed broccoli.
- Then, carefully cut the steamed broccoli florets into small pieces.
- Next, add the heavy cream, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the cooking pot.
- Continuously stir the ingredients with a blending whisk while bringing them to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, remove the sauce from the heat and add in the cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.
- Blend the cheese into the sauce with a silicone spatula.
- Then, pour the cooked pasta into a casserole dish.
- Pour the homemade cheese sauce on top of the macaroni pasta.
- Then, add in the chopped broccoli florets.
- Next, add in the bacon bits.
- Mix all of the macaroni and cheese ingredients together with a spatula until completely combined.
- Then, cover the top of the mac and cheese generously with bread crumbs.
- Bake the broccoli mac and cheese in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Finally, remove the pasta dish from the oven and serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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