Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese Recipe

A serving spoon holding up a scoop of broccoli mac and cheese from the pan.

Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese Recipe

This Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese recipe is about to be your new favorite recipe for Meatless Monday! It's creamy, delicious and seriously easy to make- and best of all, ready in under an hour!

Course dinner, Main, Main Course, Main dish

Cuisine American

Diet Low Fat

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 120kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups medium shell pasta, cooked 2 minutes less than the al dente cooking time on the package
2 cups diced fresh broccoli
4 Tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper,
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 Pinch ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
⅓ cup seasoned panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place broccoli into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes before draining and plunging into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain well and set aside.
In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until no lumps remain. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking often.
Whisk in milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg. Cook for 5-7 minutes continuously whisking (to prevent the milk from scalding) until thickened.
Turn off the heat and add 2 cups shredded cheese. Whisk until smooth and the cheese is melted. Mix well with cooked pasta and broccoli.
Pour the pasta mixture into an 11" x 7" baking pan. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheddar cheese and panko bread crumbs.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, cool for a few minutes and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Cook the pasta a bit less than al dente- which is about 2 minutes less than the al dente cooking time listed on the package to prevent your cooked macaroni from getting mushy.

Cook the roux for a couple minutes- you want to make sure to cook the raw flour flavor out before adding the liquid.

until smooth and the cheese is melted.

Don't use too high heat for the sauce- make sure you cook the sauce over medium heat because the milk will scald if the heat is too high.

You'll know the sauce is ready for the cheese because it will coat the back of a spoon. Then you'll turn off the heat, add the shredded cheese and whisk

Shredding cheese yourself is the best way to get it to melt nicely, but store bought pre shredded cheese works fine too.

If you don't want a crispy topping just hold off from adding the cheese and panko topping until 5 minutes before the end of the total cooking time.

Ingredients to prep ahead- shred the cheese, blanch the broccoli.

Leftovers and storage- This is best served right away, but will last up to 5 days covered in the fridge. Reheat individual potions in the microwave.

Nutrition