Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
The EASIEST and CREAMIEST mac and cheese made in less than 30 min! Comfort food perfection! And it is the perfect way to sneak in those greens!
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.
Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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 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?
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I’ve made this a few times, my kids and I love it!
Made this tonight. Doubled the recipe. Substituted onion for shallot, because that’s what I had. Added leftover turkey breast. Everyone liked it. Will go into my saved recipes for repeat. Thank you!
Did you used raw broccoli, or did you use the steamed broccoli bag?
Excellent dish! Followed recipe, no changes.
Seeem really tasty thank you i will try this recipe.
Hi there I havent made this dish yet 1 question I have though is what is a shallot? Do I need to use that when making this dish??
Small, mild onions.
What a lovely recipe. This was a hit with my 2.5 year old. I pulverized the broccoli florets in my food processor to make it as fine as possible so it kind of melts away into the sauce. I also used Gruyère cheese; I can’t wait to make this again!
Am I missing the cheese in the ingredients list? I don’t see it!
At the bottom of the list of ingredients – ‘6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated’
Hi…I’m in Australia and I can’t find half and half… what can I substitute it with and what is the measurement for the alternative
You can sub milk mixed with a bit of flour and butter.
should I put the broccoli in raw?
Omg , so damn good!!!!! And believe it or not quick live it will totally make again.
Just as it said, quick and delicious! Super easy recipe with the cheese sauce being the perfect consistency. I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
would definitely make again… and again! I added broccoli and cauliflower to mine (waste not want not!) Also in addition to the Dijon mustard, I added just a splash of Winchester sauce for a deeper flavor. I didn’t have enough sharp cheddar, so I grated some Munster cheese too so small changes are ok with this recipe… make it “yours.” And when you delve in to your first bite…. OMG!!! Yummy!
This was fantastic! I added my broccoli to my pasta for the last minute of boiling time to make sure it was soft enough. I also added a couple good sprinkles of seasoning salt to my cheese sauce. I wanted to make it a complete meal so I rinsed a couple cans of chicken breast (canned chicken saved me an enormous amount of time) and added it to the cheese sauce when I added my pasta and broccoli. I then put it all in a baking dish and put some smashed up ritz crackers and butter on top. Popped it under the broiler for a couple minutes and voila! It was the perfect easy meal!!
So yummy! Was in the mood for broccoli Mac and cheese and I came across this recipe. I used gluten free elbow pasta to really get that mac and cheese feel and it turned out great. Luckily I checked out the reviews before cooking so I added the broccoli in with the pasta 3 minutes before the pasta was done and it cooked perfect. I added a little more broccoli than the recipe and after seeing how sparse it was in the dish I’m definitely going to add another cup next time. I added 2 extra oz of cheddar and since I had blocks of Parmesan and Romano just sitting in my fridge I threw some in there. Tasted great! Even with the extra cheese I still thought it could’ve been cheesier. Can’t wait to tweak this next time!
This is my second time making this dish and it was so simple I get my daughter to be in-charged. It is also very delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. Definitely will cook it again.
What happened to mine? Mine was really horrible. Indeed very creamy, pretty light yellow but grainy and super bland. Maybe I shouldn’t have used the preshredded cheese? Glad to read others really liked it. Mine fell into the zero super unfun not good category.
Preshredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that wreaks havoc on sauces. My guess would be that’s your problem. Cheese sauces can also separate and get grainy if they get too hot. If you decide to try it again, definitely buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself and turn the heat down before you stir in the cheese. Good luck!
What’s half and half mean please?
Half heavy cream, half milk; it’s an American thing.
Good
Soo tasty and easy! I can’t believe I haven’t done this before!!
So good quick and ready in less than a hour, very good and will be making it again.
Amazing! I’ve recently started making more healthy recipes, and this ones going in the books! Super easy and creamy, and I substituted half and half for vegetable broth- came out great.
Another delicious recipe – thank you! We loved this dish! It was creamy, cheesy and super comforting on a cool, rainy night here in Vancouver! I did as others commented and added my broccoli to the boiling pasta water for the last minute of the pasta cook time. I had to blend sharp cheddar with Gruyere cheese (because that is all I had in the fridge). It tasted wonderful! The sauce was so creamy, smooth and cheesy! Mmmmmmm Yum! Love the versatility of this recipe! Thank you for your awesome inspiration!
This was my first try at a Damn Delicious recipe but certainly not my last. My wife and I agreed it was some of the best mac & cheese we’d ever had. My kids were less enthusiastic, but they liked it, even the broccoli. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Delicous! It turned out great. We like our broccoli a little soft so I just threw it in the boiling water with the noodles for the last minute. Perfect.
Haven’t made it yet….how many calories per serving?
This was fantastic!! I put the broccoli in my food processor so it was in very small pieces (just personal preference). Otherwise the only thing I changed was leaving out the mustard and using a yellow onion because I had no shallots. My question-has anyone tried freezing this? I have more broccoli and this was soo good. Thanks!
Was delicious, but the broccoli was undercooked and needed to be steamed before combining it with the other ingredients.
Okay, I NEVER write food reviews. But I cannot get over how good this is. I made a few changes for my taste, but honestly believe that the original recipe is probably fantastic on its own.
I used 1 tsp of onion powder instead of the shallots, but still browned the garlic in the butter on its own like the recipe calls for. I used almond milk instead of whole milk but kept the half and half, and used 2 tsps of dijon because I love the taste. I also used Lowery’s instead of regular salt, and added a little bit of cayenne and paprika to the milk mixture while it was thickening. Also used an entire 8 oz bag of shredded cheese.
SO GOOD! Thank you for this recipe! I’ll be making it all the time now.
I made this and added shrimp to the mix. I didn’t have any shallots so I just used regular white onion instead. (This was apart of my “buy nothing to cook challenge”. I also just had regular elbow macaroni instead of the pasta shells, which of course taste the same.) But it was DELICIOUS! I actually brought some to work and am currently eating it at my desk.
I can’t wait to try more of her recipes!
This was delicious! I wasn’t sure the broccoli would be sufficiently cooked, so I added it to the pasta for the last three minutes. I added one more tablespoon of butter when sauteeing the shallot and garlic, and also topped the pan with about a half cup of cheddar and baked at 350 for five minutes, although 10 would have been perfect. Next time I might add some cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick.
One of the few vegetarian dishes our whole family enjoys
Just made this for me and my younger brother ; so easy to make. Tastes amazing , I added a lot of cheese and some pepper : coriander / hot dogs/ and chilli sauce . 10/10
I made this recipe today and it was delicious.. I chopped my broccoli smaller and didnt use as much. Also steamed it until slightly tender. Instead of a shallot, I used yellow onion. I used 8 oz of Velveeta, and seasoned it with seasoning salt. After it was all mixed together I sprinkled it with cheddar cheese and baked it until the cheese melted. Sooo delicious.
Can I make it with less milk and some more cheese? Or will it impact the cooking?
I am definitely making this recipe at home
quick, easy and so Delicious !!!
Thank you!
First site I have found interest in. Cooked 2 of your dishes so far. Came out perfect. Thanks. Cooking from your recipes again this eve
do you just throw in raw fresh broccoli or are you supposed to cook it with the pasta? I made this last night and the broccoli was so hard, seemed like i missed a step but didn’t see anything in the recipe that I was supposed to cook the broccoli.
The raw broccoli is cooked in step 4. If you prefer more cooked broccoli, you can cook it for longer to better suit your personal preferences.
If you don’t have shallots are there anything else that can be substitute for it?
You can substitute with a 1:1 ratio of shallots to onions. 🙂
5+ Creamy and wonderful!!! I had half a bag of frozen broccoli and used this. Wished I had more broccoli, I’d make again!!
Has anyone tried substituting whole milk for the 1 cup of half and half? Did it come out ok?
Hi Chungah, I am a 1st time poster. I have tried this recipe along with your pan sheet ones, my fav there. Love all of what you are doing. I’m retired (74) still in good shape and I usually make most breakfasts and lunches. My wife (polish decent) kicks me out of the kitchen so she can make dinner. lol. I’m not complaining there as I’m not exactly a great cook as she’s the best with great old recipe’s. I eat moderately and she doesn’t complain. Nor do I of her cooking. lol. And honestly just want to say how great both of us really enjoy your recipe’s even when we pick and choose along the way with yours as you have so many great variations. We really appreciate your effort of a great love of food to share with others. That’s special. And if Jana is a friend and helper with recipe’s, our best to her also. You both have a great thing going and sure great families. God Bless and thank you again. Let’s all eat on to keep smiles on faces. I raise a glass of cheer to you! Well, I mean tonight! It’s my turn for dinner.
Gary, you are the sweetest! Thank you so much. We appreciate you and love that you and your wife are enjoying our recipes so much!
Made this tonight and enjoyed it! So as of now we’re friends. But all bets are off tomorrow when my Rockies come for your Dodgers
Thanks, Diana!
Can you use frozen broccoli instead?
I recommend using fresh broccoli whenever possible.
Unfortunately my fresh broccoli was unusable so I substituted with a bag of frozen that I threw in with the pasta last few minutes of cooking. Turned out great! Family loved the recipe.
I will try it on my granddaughter. I love butters on instagram
very good. Thank you for sharing!
As a Canadian I am home to the capital of Mac and Cheese and as a veteran of home made Mac and cheeses I have a couple minor amendments.
Double the pasta.. One cup of cooked pasta barely feeds me forget the family. I used 2 cups of macaroni
The cheese should be apx 1 1/2 cups. Can adjust as neccsary
Steam the broccoli for 2-3 minutes overtop the pasta and add it at the end as stated
The rest of the recipe is as is. You’ll have plenty of sauce even with the pasta doubled, rest assured. Just made it this way and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you have recommendations for converting measurements to the metric system? I live in a country that doesn’t use the standard system and I find that straight conversion of oz to grams or liters doesn’t always work out.
Yes, there are many free online conversion calculators/charts that can easily be used! Here’s an example: http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/metric-conversion-charts.
All I have to say is OMG…. so. dang. good. I was worried at first because the cheese sauce was taking a while to thicken, but don’t worry for those who are trying this for the first time: it thickens at the last second and man oh man is it good.
Thank you Sam! So glad you liked it.
This was sooooo delicious! I like broccoli and I know that broccoli can help me lose weight . I will make this dish tomorrow
This recipe is a winner; easy to prepare and my family loved it! I lightly steamed the broccoli, added slightly more cheese, no Dijon (daughter hates all mustard), low fat milk, and it was super yummy. I have yet to try one of your recipes that I didn’t like. Thanks so much for being awesome and posting this recipe whilst dealing with lost luggage on your trip to Paris.
Thank you so much Vicki!
Made this today and it came out so creamy and delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
It’s one of my faves as well. So good!
Do you think I could used almond milk instead of whole milk or will that ruin the consistency of the dish?
Unfortunately, we can’t answer with certainty since we haven’t tried that ourselves. It will most likely change the consistency, I usually use canned coconut milk myself when I substitute, but you have to like the flavor.
I tried this and it was great! I also varied it by adding pulled BBQ chicken and it was DELICIOUS. Thank you!
That sounds awesome. Thank you for sharing!
This mac n cheese recipe is amazing, my 8 & 9 year old kids agree! I personally am not a fan of mac n cheese but this tasted perfect and have searched for years for a recipe that was creamy, not dry, chalky or have any dreaded eggs in it. Only week I did was use half sharp cheddar and half american (for extra creaminess) , but this recipe is spot on the best I have ever made.
Awesome Stephanie! Thanks for sharing 🙂
In this email you have another broccoli and cheese recipe that’s for the Instant Pot. Could this one be made in the Instant Post, as well?
Retha, I recommend using the Instant Pot recipe.
https://damndelicious.net/2018/03/25/instant-pot-creamy-broccoli-mac-and-cheese/
I ended up trying to double the recipe and used sharp cheddar cheese. It seems that the consistency ended up being just off and seemed more yeasty and buttery. If you were making double the amount, would the amount of all purpose flour have to be less than 4 tablespoons? I want to make this again but I got so bummed, I ended up throwing it all away.
Hi Jacqueline! I’m so sorry to hear that. Mac and cheese can be very finicky so I wouldn’t recommend doubling the recipe as it just becomes too much pasta, too much cheese, too much of everything!
I didn’t have shell pasta on hand. So I use tri colored rigatoni. I doubled the recipe . I also used sharp cheddar & a blend of cheese . I steamed my broccoli, too.
The mac and cheese looks amazing, thinking of making the lighter version by substituting butter with olive oil and half and half with low fat milk. And I’m sure my son going to love this.
Can I omit the Dijon mustard or substitute it with something else? My husbands loathes any kind of mustard. He always can taste it. I have absolutely no clue how but he always knows if it’s in a recipe.
You can omit! 🙂
Turned out really good. Used the tip from another commenter about using the boiling pasta water on the brocolli.
What is half and half?
A mixture of equally “half” milk and “half” cream.
This looks amazing!! How many calories is it?
Nutritional information is actually provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Is the half and half necessary? Could you just use more whole milk instead?
Half and half is best but milk can be substituted.
This was sooooo good!!! My two little girls like their Mac and cheese a bit saucy so we added a little more milk, and also added chicken. It was delicious! We also put the broccoli in the strainer with the pasta to steam it a bit (we like a bit of crisp to the broccoli too) before putting it in the pan based on the advice of another comment, and it was perfect. Definitely a keeper!
I made this the other night and it was super easy! I used the new Barilla pronto pasta (ready to eat in the bag) and it came together in minutes! I think I’m loving that new pasta!
This method sounds like a great idea. I love a good, easy mac n’ cheese & adding fresh broccoli is a healthy addition. Can’t wait to make it!
Daughter wanted Mac and Cheese from scratch for dinner so I thought I would give this recipe a try. Another damn good meal from Damn Delicious.
P.S. Daughter said “that woman is a genius”
This sounds great! My husband only likes raw broccoli, not cooked, so this will be perfect for him. I also like a bit of crunch.
I love your recipes! Also, if I want a little entertainment, I come and read all the comments people leave, some I just can’t help but laugh out loud. You do a great job answering. 🙂
Sorry, but is it just raw/fresh broccoli? I can’t imagine just 4 min of stirring in hot pasta/cheese is enough to soften it.
Yes, the recipe calls for fresh broccoli. If you prefer a more cooked-broccoli texture, you can cook them ahead of time. It all depends on personal preference. Hope that helps!
I added the brocolli to the sauce before the cheese and let it simmer. Came out perfectly
Awesome!
I put the broccoli in the colander, then drained the pasta over it. I kept the pasta and broccoli warm in the pot while I made the sauce and it was cooked perfectly.
Great tip! We just made this for dinner and it was so yummy I topped it with Panko breadcrumbs and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes too.
Great idea, & easy too. I’ll try this method. I love a good mac & cheese & adding broccoli is a terrific idea.
Well, that just flat out looks damn delicious! 🙂 Pinning and thanks for sharing.
This sounds yummy – I will try it out today!!!
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.