One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

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.