Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese
This baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese is easy to make yet crazy delicious. A silky cheese sauce wraps up tender pasta and broccoli florets, with a crisp breadcrumb topping. We love this comforting yet healthy-ish one pot meal!
Perfectly Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese
Whether you’re in the market for an easy all-in-one dinner for your family or a crowd-pleasing side dish, this creamy baked broccoli macaroni and cheese fits the bill. It’s got tender pasta, al dente broccoli florets, a flavorful and smooth cheese sauce, and a lightly crisp breadcrumb topping to pull it all together.
We love that this mac and cheese is:
- Quick and easy to make, with minimal chopping and hands-off cooking.
- Creamy and flavorful, thanks to the perfectly seasoned cheese sauce.
- Family-friendly. Even choosy kids are often willing to give cheese-drenched veggies a try!
This makes a great one pot meal, or you can add more protein. Grab a rotisserie chicken at the store, or try this super easy Italian dressing chicken — it’s so good!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about what you’ll need to make this, as well as possible substitutions. Full amounts are noted in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Pasta: Use any pasta shape you like that has cups or ridges to cuddle some of that cheese sauce. The pasta shown here are DeLallo shellbows, which are perfect and adorable.
- Broccoli: You can buy a full head of broccoli, or a package of pre-washed broccoli florets to save time. You will want to be sure they are cut to an even medium size. Too big and they will be awkwardly large in the finished mac and cheese; too small and they will fall apart as they cook.
- Cheese: If you choose ONE ingredient to splurge on for this recipe, make it this! I love a mix of Gruyere and cheddar cheese, which both have great flavor and melt very smoothly. You can even buy pre-mixed blocks of these two cheeses at Trader Joe’s and many standard grocery stores. They are literally meant to be together. 🙂 I’ve also made this with just sharp cheddar cheese and it was equally popular.
- Milk and butter: You can use either whole milk or reduced-fat with good results. I have not personally tested this recipe with skim milk but suspect the sauce will not thicken up as well.
- Fresh minced garlic and Dijon mustard: Add crucial flavor in the sauce. Substitute garlic powder and mustard powder only if necessary, starting with 1/2 teaspoon of each and adding more to taste.
- All-purpose flour, kosher salt, black pepper.
- Breadcrumbs: I’ve made this with both regular and panko breadcrumbs, plain and seasoned, and all batches were equally embraced by my family. Use whatever you’ve got!
Why is freshly-grated cheese better?
Store-bought pre-shredded cheese contains a coating that is meant to prevent clumping, which hinders melting. For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, buy blocks of cheese and shred them yourself. An inexpensive yet quality box grater makes this quick and easy to do.
Step-by-Step Instructions
One of my favorite things about a baked pasta like this is that you can get organized, clean up, or just relax during the hands-off cooking time at the end. But before that, of course, you need to put the dish together. Here’s what to do!
This is a visual overview with illustrated step-by-step instructions. Scroll to the recipe card for a more detailed and screen and printer-friendly presentation of the method.
Step One: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a really generous pinch of salt, then the pasta. Watch the cooking time carefully: you want to cook the pasta for about 2-3 minutes less than the package directions state for al dente, so that it still has some bite. It will soften more and absorb some of the cheese sauce as it bakes. Then, you want to add the broccoli florets directly to the water with the pasta during the last minute of the pasta’s cooking time. This will gently steam them without any extra hassle!
Step Two: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and start making the sauce. This begins with a simple bechamel sauce, which sounds intimidating but can be easily mastered by a home cook! Grab a large skillet and melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in an equal amount of flour, followed by garlic for fragrance and flavor. Now slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, until thickened slightly, then season with Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.
Use a large oven-safe skillet for the sauce if you have one, and you won’t need to dirty any other pan. This is my favorite and this is a great less expensive option. Otherwise, you can simply combine the pasta and sauce in a 9″x13″ casserole dish and bake, no problem.
Step Three: Remove sauce from the heat and begin adding the cheese, one handful at a time. Let the residual heat melt the cheese in batches, stirring well before each new addition. This ensures the smoothest sauce!
If you have clumps in your sauce, just continue stirring patiently, and they should even out.
Step Four: Pour drained pasta and broccoli into the sauce, stir well, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake. It’s done when the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the breadcrumbs are lightly golden; this takes 15-20 minutes for me at 375 degrees F.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Can I make baked mac and cheese ahead of time?
Yes! The best method is to prep this ahead of time, all the way through adding the breadcrumbs, then cover the pan tightly with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil, and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, remove the covering and bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. It will take longer in the oven to account for coming straight out of the fridge, but you’ll still get that fresh-baked effect with the creamy cheese and crisp topping with zero day-of effort.
How to avoid clumps in my mac and cheese?
The most important tips to prevent clumps in your mac and cheese are to add the milk slowly, whisk the sauce constantly as the milk is added and frequently as it simmers to thicken, and to avoid over-heating the sauce. This is why it’s important to remove the sauce from the heat and allow the residual heat of the simmered milk to melt the cheese!
What proteins are good to add to this?
Baked broccoli mac and cheese is terrific with chicken mixed in! Simply add pre-cooked shredded or cubed chicken to the sauce along with the cooked pasta and broccoli and stir well. Sliced and sautéed Italian sausage would be a good add-in, as well.
Serving Suggestions
We serve broccoli mac and cheese as a main course all the time, and I feel good that the veggies are packed right in there. It’s also a great side dish to rotisserie chicken or a simple skillet like lemon thyme chicken or this lemon rosemary variation.
This is also a nice addition to a brunch, lunch, or casual party menu, since it’s crowd-pleasing and easy to prepare ahead of time.
Related Recipes
Love cozy baked pastas? Try my baked tortellini, baked ravioli, or chicken Parmesan meatballs next. All comforting, delicious, and easy to make!
Can’t get enough mac and cheese? This stovetop one pot mac and cheese is unbelievably easy to make, and this ultra-cheesy classic baked version is my son’s all-time favorite.
If you try making this Broccoli Mac and Cheese or any other recipe on the blog, please rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for more great recipes and ideas!
Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked pasta
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 and 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 and 1/2 cups milk reduced-fat or whole milk are fine
- 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 10-12 ounces shredded white cheese such as cheddar or Gruyere, about 2 and 1/2 cups shredded
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, followed by the pasta. Cook for 2-3 minutes less than the package directions state for al dente pasta. During the last minute of your cooking time, add the broccoli florets, then drain both the pasta and broccoli together and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. (Use a large oven-safe skillet if you have one.) Whisk in the flour. When the flour is evenly incorporated, add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the mixture is even.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes, continuing to whisk frequently, until the liquid thickens slightly and small bubbles develop on the surface. Turn off the heat. Stir in the Dijon mustard along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly so that one addition is melted and well-incorporated before adding the next.
- When the cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce, pour the drained pasta and broccoli into the skillet, or transfer everything to a large casserole dish. Stir very well to combine and evenly coat the pasta with cheese sauce. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the breadcrumbs are lightly golden. Serve right away.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Prep the mac and cheese all the way through adding the breadcrumbs, then cover the pan tightly with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil, and store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, remove the covering and bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
- Broccoli: You can buy a full head of broccoli, or a package of pre-washed broccoli florets to save time. You will want to be sure they are cut to an even medium size. Too big and they will be awkwardly large in the finished mac and cheese; too small and they will fall apart as they cook.
- Cheese: Store-bought pre-shredded cheese contains a coating that is meant to prevent clumping, which hinders melting. For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, buy blocks of cheese and shred them yourself. An inexpensive yet quality box grater makes this quick and easy to do.
This is perfect for anyone who loves cheesy and comforting meals, and the broccoli adds a healthy and nutritious twist to it. Yum!
Adding broccoli to your mac and cheese is not bad instead, it turns more delicious!
Thank you!
Wow! This mac and cheese with broccoli look so delicious and it’s such a unique recipe! Everything looks great and perfect for this dish, many will definitely love and enjoy eating this!