A classic baked mac and cheese is already the ultimate comfort food, but when you throw in roasted broccoli into the mix, it gets even better. This roasted broccoli mac and cheese is hearty, cheesy, and the kind of dish that makes even the pickiest of kiddos happy.
Traditional mac (aka, Macaroni and cheese) is perfect for every single day of the year for virtually any occasion. Throw in some veggies and a homemade cheese sauce you've got a meal that's done in no time and satisfies everyone's tastebuds.
TL; DR Recipe Summary
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Intermediate
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 40 minutes (includes bake time and pasta cook time)
- 😋 Taste: Creamy, cheesy, savory, salty.
- 🍽️ Best Served With: Make a large batch of crusty garlic bread with herbed butter to go with the mac and cheese or add a little more greens to this with a fresh spring greens salad. You could also ramp up the protein with juicy pan fried chicken cutlets or for more flare (and heat), mini buffalo chicken meatballs.
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Tips and Key Reminders
- Use room temperature milk, butter, and cheese. This helps when stirring it altogether so that the sauce doesn't break as you whisk it all in the pan.
- Use a consistent flame to make the roux and to melt the cheese into the roux.
- Remember to cook the pasta al dente, meaning to the tooth or bite. The pasta will continue to cook when it bakes, so cooking it al dente prevents it from become overcooked and soggy.
- Season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper before adding in the pasta and broccoli. Don't wait to season the dish when it's ready to be baked, you want to season the sauce so that the flavors coat all of the pasta evenly.
The Main Ingredients
- Pasta - Any short, tubular, or corkscrew pasta is excellent in this mac and cheese dish. The grooves in the pasta will catch the cheese sauce for cheesy perfection.
- Shallot - the shallow adds more flavor to a sauce as you build it.
- Garlic - another important ingredient in building the cheese sauce, along with the shallot and olive oil.
- Butter and Flour - We make a roux using the butter and the flour. A roux is a mixture of butter and flour, whisked together to form a thick paste-like consistency. This aids in thickening a sauce or in this case, a cheese sauce.
- Cream or Whole Milk - a key ingredient in making the cheesy sauce for the mac and cheese
- Chicken Broth - helps make the cheese sauce
- Cheese - Of course, the cheese is the star of the show (aside from the broccoli). I prefer a few varieties in my mac and cheese but the classics are sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and monterey jack cheese.
- Broccoli - I like using fresh broccoli, but if you only have frozen broccoli florets, you can thaw it and use that instead.
- Olive Oil - olive oil is used to sauté the garlic and shallot before building the roux for the cheese sauce.
- Salt - just a teaspoon salt to season the cheese sauce, but you'll also season the pasta with salt as it boils.
- Pepper - traditional cracked black pepper is added to the sauce once the cheese melts into the roux. This helps to give balance of the cheesiness and saltiness of the cheese and the pasta.
- Bread Crumbs - adding bread crumbs is entirely optional, but I like to sprinkle some on top for more flavor and texture.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Pasta - instead of using durum or regular flour penne, you can easily use gluten free penne.
- Cheese - swap the regular mozzarella for dairy-free.
- Veggies - the vegetable options are entirely up to you! Feel free to use whatever veggies that you have on hand, including frozen!
How to make roasted broccoli mac and cheese
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400º. Toss the broccoli in olive oil and season with salt and black pepper and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni or your favorite choice of short pasta until al dente. Strain, then set aside. Add the garlic and shallot into the same pot (without the pasta in it). Bring to medium heat and sauté until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add in the butter and melt. Pour in the flour and whisk until it combines and forms a thick and smooth texture.
Step 3: To the roux, add in the heavy cream and stock. Bring the heat up to a medium-high and let the liquid come to a boil.
Turn off the heat, pour in the cheese mixture, and stir to combine. Let the cheese fully melt, then season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Lastly, pour in the broccoli and the pasta directly to the cheese sauce. Gently fold the pasta and the broccoli together into the sauce to make sure all ingredients are fully coated with cheese. Plate and serve with a fresh garnish of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
Broccoli Mac and Cheese FAQs
I love anything with grooves or will catch the cheese, like mini shells, shelbows (shell elbows), short tubular pastas like cavatappi, fusilli, or radiatore.
You can add any leftover mac and cheese to an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4 days. In order to freeze, just place the remaining pasta to a freezer-safe container and consume within one month. You can thaw in the fridge overnight when you want to eat it, and reheat in the microwave or in the oven for 15 minutes at 350º.
You can literally add any veggie to this dish sort of like my one pot three cheese mac with spinach. Feel free to toss in peas, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower
Here are some other incredibly simple pasta recipes:
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Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- 1 strainer
- 1 oven safe baking dish
- 1 spatula
- 1 whisk
- 1 large frying pan
- measuring spoons and cups
- large serving spoons optional
- 1 baking sheet for roasting broccoli
Ingredients
For the Broccoli
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
For the Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 large shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup monterey jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the Broccoli
- Preheat the oven to 400º. Toss the broccoli in olive oil and season with salt and black pepper and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.
For the Macaroni and Cheese
- As the broccoli cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni or your favorite choice of short pasta until al dente, or a minute or two less than the box or package indicates. Strain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the garlic and shallot in the olive oil over a medium heat, and cook until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add in the butter and melt. Pour in the flour and whisk until it combines and forms a thick texture.
- To the roux (flour and butter), add in the heavy cream and stock. Bring the heat down to a medium flame, then let the roux come to a rolling boil.
- Lastly, pour in the broccoli and the pasta directly to the cheese sauce. Gently fold the pasta and the broccoli together into the sauce to make sure all ingredients are fully coated with cheese. Plate and serve with a fresh garnish of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
Erica says
My all time favorite!!!! This recipe is perfection and it comes out sooooo good!