broccoli cheddar mac and cheese

The One-Pot Mac & Cheese That Sneaks In a Whole Vegetable Drawer

Name: Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese; 3 cups Chicken Stock; 4 oz Cream Cheese; 2 tbsp Butter; 2 cups Broccoli Florets; 9 oz Pasta; 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder; 1/2 tsp Onion Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black Pepper; 1/2 cup shredded Carrots; 3/4 cup Heavy Cream

A 25-minute stovetop mac that gets its silky sauce from cream cheese, not a roux, and its color from actual broccoli.

Dowell CooksApril 22, 20266 min read Print this post

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A steaming pot of broccoli cheddar mac and cheese, straight off the stove.

One pot, twenty minutes, and a sauce that goes from cheese block to silk without ever touching an oven.

Hey, welcome back! If you've got a pot, a box grater, and twenty minutes, we're making dinner. This is the mac and cheese I make when I want the cheesy, cozy thing without babysitting a roux or waiting on the oven to preheat. Everything cooks in one pot, the broccoli and carrots ride along with the pasta, and the sauce comes together at the very end so it's silky, not clumpy.

Overhead view of Cheddar Cheese, Chicken Stock, Cream Cheese, Butter, Broccoli Florets, Pasta, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder arranged on a table — Cheddar, cream cheese, butter, stock, pasta, broccoli, and carrots, ready to go.

Mise en place

20 minutes, and you’re ready to cook.

Line everything up by the stove first and this whole recipe turns into a ten-minute assembly job.

Gather EquipmentGather a large pot with a lid, a cutting board, a chef's knife, a box grater, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a wooden spoon or spatula, and a colander (optional, for draining if needed).
Prepare the Cheddar CheeseUsing a box grater, grate the 8 oz block of Cheddar cheese on the medium or large holes until you have approximately 2 cups of shredded cheese. Place in a prep bowl.
3 min
Prepare the Broccoli FloretsRinse the broccoli under cold water. Cut the broccoli into small florets, aiming for bite-sized pieces about 1 to 1.5 inches. You should have approximately 2 cups of florets. Place in a prep bowl.
3 min
Prepare the CarrotsPeel the carrots and cut them into small dice or thin rounds, approximately ½ inch pieces. Measure out ½ cup of diced carrots. Place in a prep bowl.
3 min
Measure SpicesMeasure out ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Combine all spices in a small bowl.
1 min
Measure Butter, Cream Cheese, and Heavy CreamMeasure out 2 tablespoons of butter, cut the 4 oz block of cream cheese into small chunks for easier melting, and measure out ¾ cup of heavy cream. Place each in separate small bowls or containers.
2 min
Measure Chicken Stock and PastaMeasure out 3 cups of chicken stock and place in a container. Measure out 9 oz of pasta (approximately 2.5 to 3 cups uncooked, depending on shape). Place pasta in a small bowl.
2 min
Stage IngredientsArrange all prepped ingredients near the stove in cooking order: chicken stock, butter, and spice mixture closest to the pot; then pasta, broccoli florets, and carrots; followed by shredded Cheddar cheese, cream cheese chunks, and heavy cream. Ensure the pot with lid is ready on the stove.

Active time~20 min · hands-on

What you’ll need

Tools for this recipe.

Nothing exotic here, just the stuff already living in most kitchen drawers.

large pot
lid
cutting board
chef's knife
box grater
measuring cups
measuring spoons
wooden spoon
colander

How it actually goes

You start the broth, butter, and seasoning together over medium-high heat, then dump in the pasta, broccoli, and carrots and put a lid on it. That's it for hands-on work until most of the liquid disappears, about 10-12 minutes. The real move happens after: pull the pot off high heat before the cheese goes in. Stir the cream cheese in first so it melts into the hot liquid and forms the base, then fold in the shredded cheddar in a couple of additions instead of dumping it all at once.

Three moves make or break this recipe.

Before you touch the stove, here's the sequence that actually matters once the pot is going.

Carrots need 6–8 minutes at a steady simmer. Once you add the cheeses, you should not be applying direct heat — residual warmth is enough to melt them without breaking the emulsion.

Sweat the carrots in butter first — they need more time than the broccoli
Add chicken stock and simmer until the carrots are just tender before the dairy goes in
Kill the heat, add cream cheese, stir to melt, then fold in cheddar off the flame

Stock is the ingredient doing the most invisible work in this pot, so it's worth knowing what it plays well with.

Pairs for Chicken Stock

Chicken StockPasta

Score 85

Both carry fresh and earthy notes.

Chicken StockCarrot

Score 82

Chicken StockSalt

Score 80

Both carry fresh notes.

Why it works

butter + pastaBoth carry fresh and grassy notes.
butter + heavy creamBoth carry creamy and coconutty notes.
cheddar + pastaBoth carry earthy and roasted notes.

Stirring chicken broth, butter, and seasonings while preparing Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese — Stirring the melted cheese and cream into the pasta until the sauce turns glossy.

One more thing worth doing before any cheese enters the picture: season your pasta water like you're seasoning the pasta itself, because you are.

Food science

beneficial

Salt your pasta water aggressively — this is your only window to season the starch itself. Under-salted pasta will taste flat no matter how good the sauce is.

What to grab at the store

Skip the mild pre-shredded cheddar bag if you can, sharp or extra-sharp actually tastes like something once it's melted into a sauce this creamy. And for the stock, reach for one with real body, the kind that's almost gelatinous when cold, rather than a thin broth. That body is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Salt your pasta cooking liquid like you mean it before anything else goes in the pot. This is the only chance the pasta itself gets seasoned all the way through, and a bland noodle underneath a great sauce still tastes bland. Don't skip it just because there's already salt in the ingredient list.

What’s in it

Contains: milk, wheat, gluten
Fits: Nut-Free, Halal

Halal and kosher also depend on how the ingredients are sourced and certified.

Smart swaps

Substitutions that still taste like the recipe.

If your fridge doesn't match the ingredient list exactly, here's what actually works in its place.

cheddar cheese

aged provolone
manchego
Lacks the oniony and garlicky notes.

heavy cream

cream
half-and-half
Juicier.

chicken stock

fish stock
Brings oniony and garlicky notes; lacks the toasted and browned notes.
bone broth

carrot

sweet potato
Brings earthy, roasted, creamy and coconutty notes; lacks the piney and citrusy notes.
pumpkin puree
Less starchy; less sugary.

broccoli

cauliflower
Lacks the clove-like and smoky notes.
eggplant
Brings earthy and roasted notes; lacks the oniony and garlicky notes.

What to put next to it

This is rich enough that it doesn't need much company. A simple green salad with a sharp vinegar dressing cuts through all that dairy nicely, since the dish itself is pretty low on anything acidic. My family likes shredded rotisserie chicken stirred right in, or grilled chicken on the side if you want to keep the pot vegetarian-friendly for whoever's serving themselves.

The nutrition

Here's the honest breakdown behind that comfort-food read above.

764Calories per serving

Food groups measured against a 2,000-calorie day

Daily picture

DGA food groups

protein

dairy

100%

vegetables

21%

fruits

whole grains

healthy fats

✓ Covers 107% of your daily dairy

• No protein in this recipe
• No fruits in this recipe
• No whole grains in this recipe
• No healthy fats in this recipe

Strong in dairy, light on protein, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats.

What it costs

$9.54Total cost

$2.39Per serving (4)

Produce: $1.70
Dairy & Eggs: $6.14
Pasta & Grains: $0.90
Canned & Jarred: $0.71
Spices & Seasonings: $0.09

Common questions

Can I make this ahead and reheat it?

You can, but the sauce tightens up a lot in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk or extra stock stirred in to loosen it back up, microwaving alone tends to make it grainy.

What pasta shape works best?

Shells or small elbows are ideal since they trap the sauce in their curves. Anything long and thin, like spaghetti, won't hold the cheese sauce nearly as well.

My sauce came out greasy instead of creamy, what happened?

The cheese almost certainly went in while the pot was still too hot. Next time, pull it off high heat completely before adding the cream cheese, and give the cheddar a chance to melt in stages rather than all at once.

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?

You can, but the sauce will be noticeably thinner and more prone to breaking since milk has a lot less fat to hold the emulsion together. Half-and-half is a safer middle ground if you want to lighten it up.

Twenty-five minutes, one pot, and a dinner that gets both the vegetable and the cheese-pull box checked. Go grate that cheddar and give it a try tonight. Browse all recipes if you want more of these easy, no-fuss weeknight wins.

The recipe

Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Serves 425 minAmerican

The Quarterly

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