One Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

One-pot comfort food for the win. 

We’re clearly big mac and cheese fans here in our house. And on busy nights when we want to save the step of cooking an extra side of veggies, this one-pot broccoli mac and cheese recipe is a favorite!

We love this recipe because it’s mercifully light on prep time (especially if you grab a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets) and can easily be made gluten-free by using your favorite GF pasta. And while we really love adding mushrooms to our broccoli mac and cheese, you’re welcome to sub in any other pasta-friendly veggies or greens that you might love best. Feel free, too, to add in any extra proteins that you might like, such as chicken, sausage, bacon or shrimp. But I have to say that the vegetarian version of this broccoli mac and cheese is incredibly hearty, cozy, cheesy and satisfying all on its own.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound uncooked pasta (I recommend a shape that lists a 7-8 minute cooking time)
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 12 ounces broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 large head of broccoli)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 ounce) freshly-grated Parmesan cheese