Ooey gooey homemade mac and cheese has met it’s match. Loaded with gorgeous green broccoli and topped with crispy bacon, this cheesy comfort food is ready to rock your face off. My family goes bonkers over this bacon broccoli mac and cheese!
For a food blogger, I’m a bit hopeless. No matter how hard I try to be inventive for you guys, I usually wind up making the same few meals for the pilot, chickpea, and myself. It varies season to season, but it’s essentially a lot of the same song and dance. When we buy broccoli, for instance, it’s usually with a set purpose in mind: as a dunker for ginger dressing and hummus, as the star of my soup, and to pimp my pizza.
Today I got sassy. It’s been far too long since I’ve made mac and cheese and the craving hit me like a mac truck.
The second the pairing hopped into my head there was no stopping it. It had to be done. Bacon broccoli mac and cheese needed to exist on my plate… and in my face!
It may be Spring but gosh darn it, it’s chilly here in NC and comfort food is on the menu! With side salads of course, because, veggies.
Let’s talk about mac and cheese. Lets talk about you and me. Let’s talk about all the broccoli and the bacon that may be…
Pretend you didn’t see that. All cheesiness aside, you need more cheese in your life. Make this.
For a food blogger, I’m a bit hopeless. No matter how hard I try to be inventive for you guys, I usually wind up making the same few meals for the pilot, chickpea, and myself. It varies season to season, but it’s essentially a lot of the same song and dance. When we buy broccoli, for instance, it’s usually with a set purpose in mind: as a dunker for ginger dressing and hummus, as the star of my soup, and to pimp my pizza.
Today I got sassy. It’s been far too long since I’ve made mac and cheese and the craving hit me like a mac truck.
The second the pairing hopped into my head there was no stopping it. It had to be done. Bacon broccoli mac and cheese needed to exist on my plate… and in my face!
It may be Spring but gosh darn it, it’s chilly here in NC and comfort food is on the menu! With side salads of course, because, veggies.
Let’s talk about mac and cheese. Lets talk about you and me. Let’s talk about all the broccoli and the bacon that may be…
Pretend you didn’t see that. All cheesiness aside, you need more cheese in your life. Make this.
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices of bacon, cooked
- 5-6 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese [see below]
- 3 cups broccoli florets, steamed or blanched
- 8 oz pasta [measured by weight]
- 1/4 cup [1/2 stick] unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired
- sauce adapted from That Which Nourishes
- crazy for cheese? You can add a little extra on top before baking and even try a buttery breadcrumb, panko, or cracker crust if you'd like! Have fun with it! I made mine with a mixture of sharp white and medium cheddar cheese but love adding gouda to my mac and cheese as well. Gouda and cheddar are a match made in heaven! I highly suggest using a good quality brick or wedge of cheese and grating it yourself, the flavor and texture will be spot-on this way!
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350
- Next measure out all your ingredients, chop your broccoli and grate your cheeses.
- Boil pasta per package instructions [times will vary a smidge by brand/shape] until al dente. Drain and set aside once done.
- While the pasta cooks, start your sauce and your broccoli.
- Cook broccoli via your favorite method. I'm a big fan of quickly blanching broccoli in hot water until the florets are bright green and tender.
- For the sauce, melt 1/2 stick of butter [1/4 cup] over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk constantly while the flour cooks off into a roux, approx. 3 minutes.
- Next season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. [add extra to taste]
- Slowly pour in your milk, whisking constantly until smooth and fully incorporated. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it rests.
- Add pasta and broccoli florets to a 9-inch baking dish [or larger]
- Sprinkle 5-6 ounces of freshly grated cheese on top of the pasta.
- Pour your cream sauce over the noodles and cheese and use a rubber spatula to fold it all together. Feel free to top with a little extra cheese if you'd like, then top with bacon.
- Bake on center rack at 350 F for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
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