One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

By Ali Slagle

Updated February 18, 2025

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(3,519)
Comments
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In the time it takes to make boxed macaroni and cheese, you can have a homemade version that’s creamy with lots of sharp Cheddar, studded with broccoli and doesn’t require making a roux. Instead, the sauce is thickened by the pasta’s starch: As the noodles cook in milk, the milk thickens to the consistency of cream and the pasta absorbs the seasonings. Here, that’s garlic powder, but you could also use mustard powder, ground cayenne or grated nutmeg like in traditional mac and cheese. The broccoli pieces end up soft and sweet, but if you want more bite, add them halfway through cooking. (Watch the video of Ali Slagle making one-pot broccoli mac and cheese here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni

  • 1 pound broccoli, stem and florets coarsely chopped

  • 2 ½ cups whole milk

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  • 8 ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (about 2 cups)

  • Black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

101 grams carbs; 29 milligrams cholesterol; 614 calories; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 918 milligrams sodium; 26 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot or skillet, combine the macaroni, broccoli, milk, salt and garlic powder. Add 3 cups of water, and stir to combine. (The pasta may not be fully submerged. That’s OK!) Bring to an active simmer over medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium to gently simmer. Cook, stirring often to ensure even cooking and to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is tender, and the liquid resembles heavy cream and coats the noodles, 8 to 12 minutes. If the liquid evaporates so much that you don’t see any between noodles, add ½ cup water. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

  2. Step 2

    Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat!

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,519 user ratings
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Comments

Too mich water

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.

Repatriated Expat

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.

Kristen T.

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.

Erika

Delicious with tweaks. Giving measurements here: 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder and dry mustard plus a pinch of nutmeg. Cayenne would definitely also be good but I have a spice-averse teen. I used two 10 ounce bags of broccoli, 1 17.6 ounce bag of short pasta from Costco and used the amount of water suggested. It was perfect. A touch soupy at first but as I stirred in 3 cups of cheese (2 of British coastal cheddar from Costco and 1 of medium cheddar) and it cooled, it thickened perfectly. Don’t overcook—it keeps cooking a little as you stir in the cheese. We loved it and it’s easy.

Wayne

I've long added rapini to mac & cheese. I like the bitter component of the rapini against the sweet flavor of mac & cheese.

amac

I made this as a half recipe and the technical aspects worked super well in that the pasta and broccoli were both cooked perfectly. My issue was the flavor - needed more than the cheddar could provide. I have leftovers and when I reheat will experiment with adding maybe some salted red pepper and possibly ham. It simply needs a boost!

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