A steaming bowl of baked mac and cheese is pure comfort food. This Broccoli Mac and Cheese is a creamy, cheesy homemade macaroni and cheese at its best.
Macaroni and Cheese. The ultimate comfort food. At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than sitting down to a bowl full of warm, cheesy pasta. My kids love Homemade Mac and Cheese, Panera Mac and Cheese and butternut squash mac and cheese and I love the ease of an Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
The only problem is that on its own, mac and cheese doesn’t make much of a balanced meal. One option is to add ground beef like my baked macaroni pasta or beef pasta skillet.
With this broccoli mac and cheese, we’re adding in a vegetable to make more of a complete meal. You can also add cooked chicken to this homemade baked mac and cheese for extra protein. I always serve roasted broccoli or steamed broccoli on the side with mac and cheese anyways, so this recipe saves a step by mixing the broccoli right into the casserole. And cheese-smothered broccoli is a pretty amazing thing.
I like to serve this meal with a green salad and some bread. It’s also a delicious side dish for baked chicken. If you have leftovers of this recipe, they make a delicious lunch.
This baked mac and cheese works well as a make-ahead meal. You can prep the casserole in the afternoon, or up to one day ahead, and then bake it until hot and bubbly in the evening when you’re ready to serve it.
How to make Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Making this broccoli mac and cheese requires just a few simple steps. You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
Cook Broccoli and Pasta
The first step in this easy recipe is to bring a pot of water to a boil. You’ll first cook the broccoli in the boiling water. When the broccoli is done, remove it using a slotted spoon and then boil the pasta. It’s so convenient to be able to cook both the broccoli and pasta in the same pot.
Make Cheese Sauce
While the pasta boils, you’ll make a simple cheese sauce on the stove. To start, we make something called a roux, which is a fancy name for equal parts flour and fat (in this case butter) that is used to thicken a sauce.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk or stir in the flour and some minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring the whole time. Then whisk in milk. Cook the milk mixture, stirring often, until it thickens. Turn off the heat and stir in salt, pepper and a little Dijon mustard. You can leave out the mustard if you don’t care for it, but it just enhances the flavor of the macaroni.
Assemble the Casserole
Stir the pasta, broccoli and cheese sauce together (you can do this in the pot that you used to cook the pasta). Then pour everything into a casserole dish or 13×9-inch baking dish.
Sprinkle on the breadcrumb topping, a mixture of breadcrumbs and melted butter.
Bake
Bake the broccoli mac and cheese until it’s hot and bubbly and the topping is light golden brown. Then enjoy!
Cooking Tips for Baked Mac and Cheese
- Cut the broccoli into small pieces, so that you can get a little bit of pasta and broccoli together in a bite. If you’re feeding a family, smaller pieces of broccoli are often more appealing to kids.
- This recipe calls for shredded cheddar cheese. You can use orange cheddar, white cheddar, or a combination of the two.
- You can add cooked chicken breast to this mac and cheese. Stir it in with the broccoli.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my slow cooker broccoli chicken and rice casserole.
Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 10 ounces dry pasta, preferred shells or macaroni
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups milk, lowfat or whole milk
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, (10 ounces by weight)
For the topping:
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs, store-bought or homemade*
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
Make the casserole:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli to a colander, keeping the water in the pot boiling.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta and return to the empty pot.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and then the minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until it comes to a low boil and thickens, whisking often, about 5 minutes total. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, and Dijon. Then stir in the cheddar cheese, a little bit at a time, until it melts into the sauce.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in the pot. Add the cooked broccoli and stir gently to combine. Pour into a 3 quart or 13x9-inch baking dish.
Make the topping:
- Stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake mac and cheese in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Check after 12 minutes and cover with foil if needed to prevent the topping from over-browning.
Notes
- It is best to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese from the store often has a coating that prevents it from melting smoothly.
- To make homemade breadcrumbs: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a food processor, process 4 slices whole-wheat bread until you have fine crumbs. Lay crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the preheated oven until dry and very lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Stir after 10 minutes to help crumbs brown evenly. Extra breadcrumbs can be stored in the freezer.
This casserole looks amazing. My like would eat mac and cheese every single day of their life so I’m always trying to add something extra to make them more nutritious. Trying this tonight. Pinned.
Thanks, Oriana! My kids ask for mac and cheese most days too! Hopefully soon they’ll expand their list of meals they like, because right now it’s pretty short. I hope your family enjoys this!
Perfect comfort food. Everyone loves mac and cheese and the chicken and broccoli turn it into a complete meal. Love this.
Thank you, Maureen!
I make a cheesy chicken broccoli casserole but without the pasta…but now I may have to add some pasta! This looks like pure comfort food. You’re speaking my language here! 🙂
Now that it’s cold outside we all need some comfort food! Even without pasta I bet your cheesy chicken broccoli casserole is delicious!
Oh this looks so yummy and cheesy! I really love that you added a nice little topping for a bit of crunch!
Thank you, Annie!
YUM, this looks like the perfect dinner dish! I can’t wait to add your recipe to my weekly meal plan, my family will love it! 🙂
I hope your family loves this one! Thank you, Jen!
Mac ‘n cheese is definitely the ultimate comfort food! I love the addition of broccoli and chicken, Kristine! This sounds like the perfect dinner. Yum!
Thank you, Gayle!
I’m all about making one dish that will be good for two meals. Looks great!
Thanks, Ginny! Yes, even when you love cooking, you need a break!
Only foolish people don’t make enough to have leftovers for the second night. Must have a built in break! And no one will mind when dinner is so yummy and cheesy!! Love this casserole, Kristine. And the pictures are gorgeous! It’s like you live in an ideal light box or something. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Lindsey! My trick lately has been to take my photographs at the optimal afternoon lighting time, which right now is about 1:45pm. I’m lucky enough to be home Mondays and Tuesdays with the kids, and it works out since that’s naptime/quiet time. 🙂 Plus, my photo studio (aka living room) has huge windows that get great afternoon light. I do have a speedlite camera flash that I can use after dark, but it’s much trickier to get a photo I’m happy with that way!
That works out perfectly! Luckily I often work from home too and am able to catch the light. Huge windows definitely help. Heaven help me when I start house shopping because I am going to be a nightmare! But, as your photos prove, lighting is so important!
I know! Luckily I bought my house before I started blogging, so I didn’t have to obsess over perfect lighting. And I just lucked out that my living room is full of bright light!
This looks beyond delicious. Pinned immediately!
Thank you so much for pinning, Jocelyn!
One-dish meals are my favorite kind. This looks delicious, and you are very clever to make extra for leftovers!
Leftovers are so important! I don’t know how people who make a new meal every night do it.
this looks like a yummy dinner!
Thanks, Dina!
This was delicious!! I did a few things wrong and it still came out so good that the kids scarfed down big servings and their dad ate the rest while we were out. We’re looking forward to having it again soon!
Hi Erin, I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit with the whole family! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
What a terrific recipe! E-Z, quick, & delicious. Adding broccoli is a genius idea, since broccoli makes everything ‘healthier’, right? (LOL). This was a huge hit with my family, and I’ll be making it often. Thanks ?
Is it possible to make this ahead of time?
You can prep it ahead, refrigerate for up to 1 day, and then bake. It’s best to add the breadcrumb topping right before baking. You will have to increase the bake time to heat it through if it’s cold from the refrigerator.