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If you are like me then you love anything that has broccoli in it! I guess my mom had it easy with me when I was growing up because I never had a hard time eating my vegetables and especially broccoli. There is just something about them that when you eat them you feel super healthy...until you pour cheese over it! haha but who cares right?
This meal is sort of just like macaroni and cheese with broccoli in it but making your own mac-n-cheese instead of buying the box stuff is still a little bit healthier because you aren't dealing with all the preservatives. This is just a perfect meal when you need something fast, you probably have all the ingredients, and you need a yummy dinner that includes some vegetables for the little ones.
1. The first thing you need to do is cut your broccoli and onion because once you get things rolling, the meal goes pretty fast. So cut 1 large crown of broccoli, I had about 3 cups, and 1/3 cup of onion. I only had a red onion but any will do!
Now you will have two pans going at once:
2. Get a large pot of water boiling. When ready pour 8 oz. of shells in and cook according to box. 8 oz. is about 3 cups and you cook for around 10 minutes. When you have cooked your noodles for 8 minutes, throw your broccoli in and they will become soft in the last two minutes. I had a pot that allows me to steam while I have something cooking underneath so I put the broccoli in to steam for about 6 minutes while the shells where cooking. When the shells and broccoli are cooked, drain and pour in strainer and then wait to combine with other pan.
3. While your noodles and broccoli are cooking, in a pan heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and then cook your chopped onion until transparent.
4. Next, add 2 tbsp. of flour and mix well.
5. Then add your 2 cups of milk and make sure all the flour is blended and there are no chunks. Let the milk get warm and barely start to simmer before you add the cheese. You need the milk to be warm enough to melt the cheese but you don't want it to start boiling. The heat should be on medium low. Add 8 oz. of shredded cheese.
6. After the cheese has melted, turn off the heat and add your spices and the shells and broccoli. I added 1 tsp. of pepper and 2 tsp. of hot sauce.
And there you have it! Super easy right? And most people never think about adding a vegetable to the classic macaroni and cheese.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serving Size: 6 servings
Ingredients:
8 oz. or 3 cups of shells
1 large crown of broccoli or 3 cups chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 chopped onion
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups of milk
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. hot sauce
