Broccoli Mac and Cheese
This Broccoli Mac and Cheese recipe is made with a creamy, flavorful cheddar cheese sauce, and rich, buttery Ritz cracker topping, creating the best baked mac and cheese recipe out there! It's so flavorful, easy to make, and you can serve it as a main dish or side dish.
Ingredients
Mac and Cheese
- 16 ounces macaroni noodles
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup flour, or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 6 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 pound fresh broccoli florets, chopped or broken into small florets
Buttery Cracker Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 30 buttery crackers, like Ritz (crushed) (or 1 cup breadcrumbs)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove top.
- Add the macaroni noodles and cook according to package directions, until al dente.
- Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Add the ¼ cup butter to a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once melted, whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Season the roux with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and mustard powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat on the stove to medium-low and add the half-and-half.
- Simmer on the stove for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat on the stove off and stir in 6 cups shredded cheddar cheese, reserving ¼ cup for topping the mac and cheese.
- Once the cheese sauce is smooth and creamy, add the cooked macaroni noodles and broccoli florets.
- Toss until the broccoli florets and pasta noodles are coated in the sauce.
- Transfer everything to a large oven-safe baking dish. I used a 9 inch by 13 inch casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup melted butter, crushed crackers and reserved ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle the cracker topping evenly over the casserole.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe can easily serve 6 people as a meal, or 10-12 people as a side dish.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time and store it, covered in the fridge, for up to 3 days before baking. I do recommend waiting to put the Ritz cracker topping on the dish until right before popping it in the oven. This way the crackers will stay crispy.
- If using frozen broccoli, be sure to thaw it first, either in the refrigerator or microwave. Pat the broccoli dry after it’s thawed so that no extra moisture gets added to the mac and cheese.
- You DO NOT need to blanch the broccoli before making the mac and cheese. Adding fresh broccoli right into the mac and cheese means you end up with broccoli that keeps it’s shape and doesn’t turn into mush.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free macaroni noodles. Replace the flour with cornstarch, but only use half of the amount of cornstarch. Because cornstarch has more thickening power than flour, you’ll only need 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to replace the 1/4 cup flour. Replace the Ritz crackers in the topping with 1 cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs.
- This recipe is vegetarian, using the ingredients listed above.
- Store leftover broccoli mac and cheese in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
- To reheat the mac and cheese in the oven, place it in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Reheat at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.
- To reheat it in the microwave, place one serving in a microwave-safe bowl and reheat for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 888kcal (44%)Carbohydrates 64g (21%)Protein 34g (68%)Fat 56g (86%)Saturated Fat 31g (155%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 151mg (50%)Sodium 1629mg (68%)Potassium 545mg (16%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 8g (9%)Vitamin A 2163mg (43%)Vitamin C 51mg (62%)Calcium 787mg (79%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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