Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Pasta
A stovetop cheddar sauce and tender broccoli cooked right in the pasta water. Like mac and cheese with a vegetable built in.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
If mac and cheese is a hit at your table, this is how to sneak in broccoli without complaints. The florets cook in the pasta pot for the last three minutes, so there is nothing extra to wash.
For a smooth cheese sauce
Shred the cheddar yourself; pre-shredded cheese is coated to stop clumping, which can make sauce grainy. Add it off the heat, a handful at a time.
Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Pasta
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
Ingredients
Method
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, adding the broccoli for the final 3 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water and drain.
In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the milk gradually and simmer, whisking, until thickened, about 4 minutes.
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cheddar a handful at a time, then the mustard, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
Add the pasta and broccoli and stir to coat, loosening with pasta water if needed.
A new recipe from our editors: times are estimates and have not yet been confirmed in our own test kitchen. Use the doneness cues and temperatures above.
