Baked Mac And Cheese With Broccoli

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The best Baked Mac and Cheese with Broccoli you’ll ever make! This dish includes a beautiful, creamy cheese sauce and a seasoned cheese topping. 

To put a spin on the traditional macaroni au gratin recipe that’s typically served every Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is THE recipe to make. 

Baked Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

It is believed that the first modern recipe for macaroni and cheese dates back to 1769 in Elizabeth Raffald’s book. She was known to be an experienced English Housekeep. 

Her initial recipe is for the famous béchamel sauce which included cheddar cheese. Then added macaroni, mixed with parmesan cheese, and baked until bubbly and with a beautiful golden brown. 

About This Recipe

This is a Mac and Cheese with Broccoli recipe you want when it comes to sneaking veggies in a kid’s favorite dish.

It is cheesy and creamy, plenty of sauce and a crunchy top.

Best Pasta For Mac And Cheese?

Though you can almost use any pasta you’d prefer, Elbow pasta is most commonly used. However, any short pasta from penne, twirls, ziti, all will work just fine. 

Best Cheese For Mac And Cheese?

The flavor will alter depending on the cheese you use. For this recipe, we kept it simple by using store-bought cheddar and mozzarella cheese. 

However, you can step it up a notch by including smoked cheese.  You can use Gruyere for superior flavor and creaminess.

Fresh parmesan for topping, or you can opt in for a spicy cheese to add a layer of heat to the dish. 

Truthfully, any cheese that melts well will work in this dish. 

You can also consider adding in Swiss, Colby Jack, or Emmental. 

Cream Or Milk? 

If you only have cream or milk, you can make this recipe. You can also opt to use can milk or Carnation evaporated milk. 

It’s best if you have both to add extra creaminess to the dish. but if you only have one or the other, you can still make it as the butter will step in to add that extra layer of richness to the sauce. 

Seasoning Variations

Definitely keep it simple. This dish is best enjoyed as a side. You do not want to overpower it by adding a lot of different seasonings. If you must do so, here are a couple more options. 

Garlic Powder – Adds an earthy flavor to the dish. 

Onion Powder – Compliments the garlic powder well. 

How To Make This Recipe

This baked mac and cheese with broccoli is a straightforward recipe. The full recipe with the exact measurements is listed in the recipe card below. 

These step-step pictures will guide you to making this recipe with ease every single time. 

Start by gathering your ingredients and preheating the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese and paprika together. Set it aside. 

Next, cut the florets from the broccoli stem. Best to cut them into bite size pieces or large chunks. 

In a large pot filled with 8 cups of water, add 1 tsp. kosher salt, and 1 tsp. olive oil. The oil will help the pasta not stick to each other. 

Bring to boil and add the 16-ounce box pasta. Cook for 8 minutes. Then add the broccoli florets. Cook for an additional 4 minutes. 

Drain the pasta and set aside. 

Return the pot to the stove over medium low heat and begin making the roux. 

Add the butter. When melted, add the flour. Begin whisking immediately and slowly add the milk while whisking. 

Next, add in the heavy cream. Followed by salt, ground mustard, fresh ground black pepper, (garlic powder and onion powder – optional.

Reduce the heat to low and continue whisking to mix the ingredients together. Add the cheddar cheese while whisking, when melted, add the mozzarella cheese. Continue whisking. 

Add the pasta and broccoli. Mix well to combine. Then transfer to a baking dish. You can use a 9×13 baking dish. 

Add one layer of the pasta mixture then spoon a few drops of the parmesan mixture. Alternate the layers until all the pasta is in the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm as a side. 

Pro Tips For Making This Dish

• It is best to avoid lumps in the Mac and Cheese with broccoli sauce by stirring constantly. 

• Best to pour the milk and creamer slowly while constantly stirring or whisking. 

• We recommend you use freshly grated cheese if you can. Pre-shredded cheese has anti caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.

• It is best to cool the pasta slightly and rise the pasta and broccoli with cold water before adding it to the sauce. This will keep the pasta from expanding too much. Expansion can result in a bloated overcooked pasta. Slightly cooled macaroni will absorb less liquid while baking.  The cold water provides a layer of protection and stops the pasta from cooking further. 
• Add more milk if needed. 
• You can make this recipe ahead of time. Add all the ingredients, cook the pasta, prepare the sauce, and transfer it to the baking dish. Instead of baking it, you can cover the dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to bake the next day. This recipe also freezes well. Therefore, your already prepared mac and cheese with broccoli is ready for you to bake any time!

Serving Suggestions

This Mac and Cheese is worthy of serving with a delicious watercress salad, or with this kale salad, or this Salad Nicoise. 

For something a little simpler, consider serving it with this Israeli Salad, or this Caesar Salad. 

For protein, pair it with this Haitian Fried Chicken, This Gluten Free Fried Chicken, this Chicken Kale Stew with Okra, this air fryer whole chicken, or with this Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. 

For a beautiful date night, consider paring it with this easy baked lamb chops, this air fryer lamb chops, or with this roasted bone in leg of lamb recipe. 

For Thanksgiving, serve it with this Oven baked turkey wings, this smoked turkey breast, this whole smoked turkey, this Cajun turkey, or with this air fryer turkey breast. 

Storing Options 

Your mac and cheese with Broccoli will last up to 5 days in the fridge. 

Freezing Option- You can absolutely freeze the dish. First, assemble, cool, be sure to NOT bake, and freeze.

Thaw in the fridge then on the day of, bake covered with foil for 15 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for an additional 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. 

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