Boxed mac and cheese with broccoli
The blue box, made better with broccoli cooked right in the pasta pot and a handful of real cheddar stirred in, dinner in 15 minutes.
- 15 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $1.32 a serving
- 620 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 15 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package boxed mac and cheese, 7.25 oz box
- 1½ cups frozen broccoli
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
From your pantry
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch black pepper
Each serving has about 620 calories, 23 g protein, 75 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $1.32 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No frozen broccoli? Broccoli works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a medium pot of water over high heat with the salt.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Add the macaroni and cook as the box says. When 3 minutes are left, add the broccoli to the same pot.
High heatTimer: 7 min
the macaroni and broccoli and return them to the pot.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Over low heat, stir in the butter, milk, cheese packet and garlic powder until smooth.
Low heat
Stir in the cheddar until it , then season with the pepper and serve.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: If it gets thick, a splash more milk brings it right back.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with broccoli and cheddar ›