Broccoli Mac & Cheese

A key element of Homemade on a weeknight cooking is having both mains and sides on your menu. While lots of soups, casseroles, sheetpan dinners and one pot pastas round out a lot of the menu plans, you often need to make a protein with a side (or two) like a steak or baked chicken breast. That’s where this Broccoli Mac & Cheese comes into play. It can hold its own on a plate with any type of protein and brings its own vegetable to the table!

While I usually say to use whatever pasta you have on hand or prefer, this recipe isn’t quite the same. Yes, it’s all pasta, I’m a firm believer that different cuts of pasta end up tasting differently in the end. For this recipe, the small shell is the best past shape. It allows the broccoli to be left in bigger cuts so as to be prominent without taking over. It also holds the cheese sauce so every bite is full of #cheesygoodness.

So I have listed and tagged this as a side dish for all intents and purposes. That said, it makes for a wonderful lunch as well. My kids love this as a weekend at home lunch. And I love that I know they got some veggies in for the day. It also makes for a great make ahead lunch, as it can be reheated in the microwave with a moist paper towel over the top.

The method for cooking the broccoli with the pasta is one I’ve used for years. You get that perfect amount of cooked but still al dente on the broccoli without having to dirty a whole other pan. It also insures that you don’t overcook the broccoli and make it mushy.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Broccoli Mac & Cheese

A fantastic side dish for dinner or lunch with a creamy cheese sauce and loaded with broccoli

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli, cheddar cheese, mac & cheese, mac and cheese, pasta side dish, Side Dish, side dish ideas, side dishes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb Small Shells Pastas
• 12 ounce Fresh Broccoli Florets chopped

For the Cheese Sauce

• 4 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 2 cups Milk
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Ground Mustard
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Instructions

• Start water boiling for the pasta.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the package. In the last five minutes of the cook time, add the broccoli to the boiling water. Drain in a colander and return to pot away from heat.
• In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add butter, onion powder and garlic powder. Once melted whisk in flour. Let cook for two minutes then whisk in milk and let cook for two minutes then whisk in seasonings and cook another two minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook another two minutes. Then add in cheese, a handful at a time, whisking until it's melted in.
• Add cheese sauce to pasta and broccoli. and stir to thoroughly combine.