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Ditch the boxed stuff and make White Mac and Cheese from scratch. It’s easy, so creamy, and totally delicious! Plus, the addition of broccoli adds some extra nutrients.
Ingredients for White Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
This white mac and cheese has a deliciously creamy sauce with lots of heavy cream and parmesan. It’s a little different than your average mac and cheese but is so good if you don’t want things too crazy cheesy.
If your kids don’t love broccoli, you could swap it out for cauliflower. The color will blend in with the pasta and you might be able to trick them into eating veggies!
- butter
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- chicken broth
- half and half
- heavy cream
- macaroni pasta
- paprika
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- head of broccoli
- Parmesan cheese
How to Make White Mac and Cheese
Making this pasta dish is simple and only takes one pot. One pot meals are a lifesaver when I just can’t possibly wash another dish. I often serve these dishes on paper plates so I don’t even have to load a few plates. It’s not lazy, it’s efficient! Haha.
First, start by melting butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. (These are my absolute favorite pots and pans to use. They’re so durable and the color is adorable.)
Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds. Let that get a little fragrant but be careful not to burn it. Did you know that garlic burns very easily?
Stir in the broth, half and half, heavy cream, pasta, and all of the seasonings. Bring that all up to a simmer. Cooking the pasta in all this creaminess will make this dish so rich and delicious.
Cover and let simmer for about 3 minutes, then add in the broccoli. Recover and continue to cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through. Stir in the parmesan and let that melt. Serve and enjoy!
More Pasta Recipes
You all know that I’m a pasta fanatic. It tastes amazing and is an inexpensive way to feed my family. I love it so much! Here are a few of my very favorite pasta recipes.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna
White Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cup half and half
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ lb macaroni pasta
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- To a large skillet or pot over medium heat add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add in the garlic and stir for about 15 seconds or until it’s fragrant. Stir in the chicken broth, half and half, heavy cream, pasta, and seasonings. Stir well, and bring up to a simmer.
- Once simmering, cover with a lid and let simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and continue to let simmer, covered, for an additional 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Let the cheese melt and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious, and so simple! I didn’t have any cream or half n half so I just used full cream milk and added a tspn of corn starch to thicken and it still came out perfect, and ready in 15 minutes!!
So darn good, the whole house loved it!!
Found this recipe on You Tube. In it you say 1/2 cup of pasta, which I used , instead of 1/2 lb.! Had to make additional macaroni to add to pot before the cheese.