One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese Recipe (2024)

3 cups of water is too much. The pasta is done before it all evaporates. Next time I’ll start with 2 and add if need be.

I’ve made this twice. It’s easy and good. The first time I made it as written, except I didn’t realize I used low fat milk. The sauce didn’t quite thicken, but it thickened with the cheese. For my family’s taste preferences I increased the salt a bit, the garlic a lot and added some mustard powder. It was really a hit! The second time I increased the veggies to almost 2 lbs and mixed broccoli and cauliflower. Yum! I needed to add some more cheese and spices, but liquid stayed the same.

This was so good! I was so skeptical of the cooking method but it totally works. For what it’s worth I used oat milk and it still came out great. I’m sure whole milk would’ve been delicious but it’s all I had. Will make again! Great easy weeknight meal.

I have been making a similar recipe for years, from Cook's Country -- the one-pot is a brilliant idea. CC's uses slightly different measures, but the key difference is their use of evaporated milk to ensure the sauce doesn't curdle (and cornstarch to thicken the sauce). I like to add slightly toasted breadcrumbs with fresh garlic before serving, and run the casserole/pot under the broiler to brown.

Pre-shredded cheddar sometimes has starch or cellulose added to keep it from sticking together before cooking. When heated, those ingredients might congeal rather intensely.

I make a lot of homemade mac n cheese and this was by far the easiest and tasted just as good as making a roux. I doubled the garlic powder as suggested and used a high end, flavorful cheddar. I found the amount of Iiquid to be spot on. It is easy, although you have to watch the milk so it doesn’t scald, and only dirties one pot unless you top with breadcrumbs and bake, which I just can’t skip. It is also at least 15 min faster than the traditional method. It is my new go to mac n cheese!

Oh, just another note for newer cooks. Be sure to keep your eye on the pot and stir sometimes while cooking because the milk can scorch from one second to the next and your pasta can stick to the bottom of the pot. It happened to me because someone rang the bell right when the milk was close to coming to a boil. Caught it quick, before the burn, but just save yourself the headache and don’t get too distracted. Otherwise this recipe is much simpler than traditional mac and cheese (and healthier!)

I used heavy cream instead of milk … shhhh! Don’t tell anyone

Made as directed with excellent results. Unlike others, I found the amounts of liquids called for were accurate to yield a perfectly creamy sauce. I used up cheddar ends from Christmas, all the broccoli in my veg drawer and a good tsp of dry mustard. It did need a good grind of pepper at the end and a bit more salt. Cracked an icy cold beer to go with. Fantastic pantry recipe.

Add a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce and adjust salt accordingly—just what it needed!

I used whole wheat penne and twice the broccoli and garlic powder. Everything cooked perfectly in 12 min. I might use more cheddar next time, or find a really super extra, extra-sharp one. We really enjoyed it.

3 cups of water is too much. The pasta is done before it all evaporates. Next time I’ll start with 2 and add if need be.

I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, made substitutions. It came out delicious. I used cauliflower instead of broccoli--made a really white dish, like traditional mac'n'cheese. I used evaporated milk and unsweetened soy milk, because no whole milk on hand. Next time: try including sauteed onions, or winter squash, or both. Maybe add some nutmeg to emphasize the calm winter-y flavor, texture, and warmth..

This was great! Followed the instructions except I had only frozen cauliflower florets so used those; they worked well! Would add a few more next time. I started with less water as another reader suggested, but ended up having to add more water in any case. I used a very sharp extra vintage British cheddar and that really added some oomph. Will be interesting to see how it turns out as leftovers (from frozen) but definitely a keeper in any case!

This was good, quick, and easy. I started off with less water as per the two comments (left by the same person?), but I used about 650g of broccoli and 350g of pasta because that's what I had at home, and I still ended up needing about three cups of water. So I think the quantity is correct. Regarding blandness, it will be as flavourful as what you put into it - it's not that different from a regular mac and cheese, except that it has less cheese.

I'd be curious how this works with Pati Jinich's method of blending poblano peppers with the milk and using that as the base.

I found that 3 cups of water was perfect. I initially tried just 2 but kept adding and ended up with 3. I used pre-shredded Wisconsin shredded cheddar from the Teeter which melted fine and may have contributed to the need for more water.

Very tasty, but would make a couple of changes next time. First, pasta was overcooked, I think there was a bit too much water because when the pasta was at the right level of doneness the sauce was still very liquid. Also, broccoli was undercooked. I would cook it to tender crisp (in the same pot to keep the dishes minimal) before starting the pasta and add it back at the end.

Made this last night. It’s good, but I prefer a recipe I got from Martha Stewart’s website. 1 can Carnation evaporated milkShredded cheeses (my fav combo is Monterey Jack for the meltability and Cabot’s Seriously Sharp cheddar for the flavor). Heat milk, add cheese, stir until melted. Pour over cooked macaroni. Use 8 oz macaroni if you like lots of sauce, 12-16 oz otherwiseOptional add-ins to the sauce: cooked veggies, spices, diced ham. Family fav was Mac & cheese with ham and peas.

Sounds good, and here's an alternative, super-quick, super-lazy version: I added chopped, leftover steamed broccoli, a handful of shredded sharp Cheddar, and a dash of cayenne to store-bought Panera broccoli-cheese soup (it's very thick), topped it with seasoned bread crumbs, and ran it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Homemade flavor in a flash ;)

This was delicious. I made it exactly as directed and even slowed the video down to see what cheese she used - Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar. I do think the cheese makes all the difference. The whole family loved it and we even reheated and ate all of the leftovers.

The sauce texture is really creamy but I found the overwhelming taste of starch unpleasant. Also, it makes the sauce more gluey and claggy than the classic recipe using a roux-based sauce.

So I can see endless possibilities for variation here. I was out of milk so used 1/2 and 1/2. I didn't have cheddar, but had a large block of Monterey Jack so used it. Used penne instead of elbows since I had those. Used broccolini instead of broccoli. All of it worked just fine.

The technique is really on point with this recipe. It needs more salt and either Worcestershire for depth of flavor or two different cheeses and hot sauce at the end. But it is good as is written and takes just around 30 minutes to make.

doubled garlic as many people said, added 1Tbsp mustard, 1 egg yolk, and a splash of cream since its what we had. also 1 of the cups of water was stock from making beans.

Deviated slightly by adding a nutritional yeast- based bouillon to the water, doubled the garlic powder, and mixed in more nutritional yeast with the cheddar at the end. Like a healthier tastier version of those envelopes of Knorr cheddar and broccoli noodles.

I put it in a pan topped it with more shredded cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs and baked at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until the cheese was melted.

I forgot to rate this recipe. I'm giving it high marks for simplicity and nummy-ness!

This dish was so simple to prepare and really delicious. I took the advice of several others and doubled the amount of broccoli, as well as added more cheese, plus I had to sprinkle in some chipotle powder for a little zip. The amount of liquids was perfect, in my experience. I served it with some smoked sausage, but next time I might try something with a little spice like hot Italian sausage.

This was incredibly easy and fast to make. I can certainly use this as a shortcut to Mac n Cheese anytime. I used heavy cream, frozen cauliflower, nutmeg, Dijon mustard, and two cups Cabot Mac and Cheese blend shredded cheese. It was very good and creamy! I cut the heavy cream and water amount in half because it was for me only. Also, I broiled some in my oval ramekin with breadcrumbs and it was even better! This is a keeper for sure.