I got a request from Nelson (a BB reader) last week to make some homemade mac and cheese, and what a fantastic idea it was. I really need some mac and cheese in my life right about now. Of course, I added a good dose of broccoli to sort of balance out the meal and make sure I get my greens. ;) And I ended up using shells instead of macaroni because that’s what I had on hand. But if you don’t want broccoli shells and cheese, just leave out the broccoli, make everything else as directed, and you’ll have a good classic shells and cheese.
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The Cheese Sauce Method
Making a cheese sauce can be a little bit intimidating at first, but give it a shot. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy. The thickening action of the roux is kinda like magic; very mysterious but you gotta learn to trust it. It will thicken.
What Kind of Cheese to Use
Sharp cheddar will give your mac the most flavor, but it also tends to “break” the easiest (turn lumpy in the sauce), so I usually use medium cheddar. I also added a little parmesan (another strong cheese) because after tasting the sauce I wanted it even cheesier! I despise a bland macaroni and cheese.
Why Add Hot Sauce?
I add just a little bit of hot sauce to my shells and cheese to add flavor but not really any heat. The hot sauce is completely optional. Many people add dry mustard which has a similar effect on the flavor. It just gives it a nice little zing of flavor on the back end. In the end, the cheese sauce is all about tasting and adjusting it to your liking. And really, who’s complaining about repeatedly tasting cheese sauce? No one.
Broccoli Shells and Cheese
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta ($0.55)
- 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets* ($0.90)
- 1/2 small onion, about 1/2 cup diced ($0.18)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.33)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 2.5 cups milk ($0.65)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar ($1.89)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan ($0.24)
- Salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, allow the broccoli to thaw. Once partially thawed, chop the florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces, and set them aside to fully thaw while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- While the pasta is cooking, begin the cheese sauce. Finely dice the onion and add it to a sauce pot with the butter. Cook the onion and butter over medium heat until the onions are softened (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the flour to the butter and onion. The flour and butter will form a paste, or roux. Whisk the roux over medium heat for 1-2 minutes more taking care not to let it scorch. This slightly cooks the flour preventing the cheese sauce from having an overly flour or paste-like flavor.
- Whisk the milk into the roux until no lumps remain. Add some freshly cracked pepper to the sauce. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, stirring often (you may need to raise the heat just slightly). When the sauce reaches a simmer, it will begin to thicken. When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it’s time to add the cheese.
- Turn the burner off and whisk in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until it is fully melted in. Next, stir in the grated Parmesan. Give the cheese sauce a taste and add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
- Once you have the cheese sauce seasoned to your liking, return the drained pasta to its large pot, add the chopped broccoli, and pour the cheese sauce over top. Stir until everything is combined and coated in the wonderfully cheesy sauce. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Broccoli Shells and Cheese – Step By Step Photos
Shred one 8oz. block of cheddar. Just be aware that sharp cheddar tends to “break”, or become lumpy, in cheese sauces a little bit easier than medium or mild cheddar. So, if you’re new to cheese sauces, start with a medium or mild cheddar.
Allow 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets to thaw. Once they are thawed enough to cut, chop them into smaller, bite-sized florets. Set them aside until ready to use (and to allow them to fully thaw).
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 8oz. pasta shells and continue to boil until the shells are tender. Drain the shells in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Finely dice 1/2 of a small onion (about 1/2 cup diced). Add the diced onion to a saucepot with 3 Tbsp butter. Cook the onion in the butter over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
Then add 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Whisk and cook the flour with the butter and onions for about 2 minutes. This will slightly cook the flour and prevent the sauce from having a floury or glue-like flavor. This paste-like flour and butter mixture is called a “roux” and is what will thicken the cheese sauce.
Whisk in 2.5 cups whole milk until there are no lumps. Also, add some freshly cracked pepper (5-10 cranks of a pepper mill). Continue to cook and stir the milk until it comes up to a simmer, at which point it will begin to thicken.
When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it is time to add the cheese.
TURN OFF THE HEAT, then stir in the cheddar, one hand full at a time, until it is fully melted into the sauce. It’s important to remove the sauce from the heat and melt in the cheese slowly to prevent the sauce from “breaking” or turning lumpy.
Once all the cheddar is melted in, stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan.
It’s now time to taste and season. I added a few dashes of hot sauce and just a little salt. You can use any hot sauce you like, Tobasco, Franks, Cholula, Sriracha, whatever. The idea is to add just enough to give the sauce a little zing, but no heat.
Once the sauce is seasoned to your liking, return the drained shells to the large pot, add the chopped broccoli, then pour the cheese sauce over top.
Stir everything together until that glorious cheese sauce is coating every inch of pasta and broccoli.
I mean, does it get any better than homemade Broccoli Shells and Cheese??
This was so delicious and so easy. I did use fresh broccoli, I steamed it.Boiled my shells then made my cheese sauce it was so good, a light cheese sauce. Perfect I followed this recipe couldn’t of been better. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
This was SO good and simple. I opted for no broccoli this time (didn’t have any), and it was just the perfect comfort dinner. Didn’t take long to make at all and the sauce is cheesy and amazing.
I’m confused by the amount of sharp cheddar cheese that is supposed to be used. You have 8 oz, followed by 2 cups, but 2 cups would be 16 oz of cheese. Do we need 8 oz or 16 oz of shredded cheese?
Yes, this often confuses people. Liquid ingredients are measured in liquid ounces, solid ingredients are measured in weight ounces. One cup is 16 fluid ounces, but the weight in ounces depends on the density of the ingredient. 8 ounces (weight) of cheese is approximately 2 cups (volume) when shredded. You can cross-reference this with packages of shredded cheese you buy in the store, which are 8 ounces (weight) and labeled as being approximately two cups in volume. You need 8 ounces or approximately 2 cups of shredded cheese.
1 cup is 8 fluid ounces.
One cup is 8 fluid ounces, which is not the same as weight ounces. Solid ingredients are measured in weight ounces and can have different volumes depending on their density. Eight ounces (weight) of shredded cheese is about two cups in volume.
Do you have a conversion for making this recipe in a slow cooker or instapot?
Sorry we haven’t tested this recipe in either a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.
This was my first time making cheese sauce and it turned out great! I added some chopped garlic with the onions because we’re huge fans of it. The hot sauce was a great touch, wouldn’t have thought of that. I used Cholula.
This was SO good and simple. I opted for no broccoli this time (didn’t have any), and it was just the perfect comfort dinner. Didn’t take long to make at all and the sauce is cheesy and amazing. Thanks for a great recipe.
Oh good to know Laura!
That sounds fantastic! I am so glad that you made it your own! Thanks so much for sharing!
Beth,
Do you great your own Parmesan or us that stuff in the green bottle?
Green bottle. :P
came out good, I made it gluten free by using corn pasta shells and oat flour, also I put in bacon, yummy
My friend and I are using this for our highschool foods class. We will be selling it in our cafeteria. We thank you for you recipe it’s amazing, cost effective and easy to make. -pam and Dorris
My best friend and I are making this for our high school foods class and will be serving it in our cafeteria. We appreciate you putting out this recipe for us. Thank you!! 🧀🥦🍝
I hate being the person who says, “add this and this to make it better!”, but here I am.
Add some worcestershire and spicy mustard (you can omit the hot sauce if you want) to give this another level of joy. Amazing as is, ultra amazing with these little tweeks.
I love it when people share their modifications! It’s very inspiring! So never fear being that person. ;)
Great recipe! I used crushed chili flakes instead of hot sauce. Equally amazing. Thank you!
I am so shocked that I was able to actually make this recipe and it actually came out good! Making a roux and cheese sauce has always been my bane and led to disaster before, but your step-by-step instructions and photos made it easy, my sauce didn’t break, and I have finally made a good mac & cheese for once in my entire life. Thanks for this great recipe! (I ended up positively dousing my sauce with a mix of hot sauce and sriracha…yumm)
I’m so glad you had cheese sauce success! :)
Thanks so much Beth, you’ve opened up a whole new cheesy world to me 😆
Great recipe! I made an extra 25% of the sauce because I added extra broccoli and chicken to extend it more so we could have leftovers. :) The only think I added was a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the sauce a bit. Thanks!
I did reg macaroni and fresh broccoli.I grated sharp cheese .I buttered baking pan poured part of mac&broccoli,put shredded cheese ,put rest of mac&broccoli added cheese.then poured can cream over.baked 425degrees for 45 minutes.Sooo good.
I made this and it was delicious I love the receipt my favorite.
Hi! I’m looking to make some easy freezer meals and wanted to get your opinion on whether or not you think this would be a good one to freeze and eat later, or if it probably wouldn’t defrost and reheat well.
I haven’t tried freezing this particular dish, but a lot of times flour thickened sauces like cheese sauce don’t do so well. So I’m going to guess that this one wouldn’t be the best for freezing.
Tried this yesterday and it was okay. I followed to the tee and the sauce was a little thick and gritty. I added more milk but it was still a little gritty. Maybe I’ll use less flour next time.
When a cheese sauce turns gritty that’s called “breaking” and it is often the result of too much heat. So, I would try lowering the heat or turning off the heat before stirring in the cheese. Hopefully that will work! :)
Mine turned gritty also and I did add cheese while heat was off. Didn’t like the flavor oh well . Not a keeper for me
Absolutely love this recipe. I changed it a bit by using whole wheat shells but it was so simple and delicious. Thank you :)
I just made this right now! I used almond milk because I didn’t have regular milk and I added a spoonful of sour cream and about three pieces of shredded chicken! It was delicious!
Adding chicken would really be good, and make a complete meal!!
Beth, I made this tonight and it was SO good!!! Excited for the leftovers too :) Thank you!!!
I absolutely love this recipe it’s my go to recipe when my kids and I crave cheesy goodness, yum yum I used mexican blend cheese Instead of sharp cheddar alone and I also added cream cheese loved the flavor it was perfect! Thanks for posting!
I used coconut flour and my cheese sauce was a disaster :(
I’m eating this right now! It’s delicious. Thank you for a great and easy recipe!
I love this! It combines two of my 5 yr old’s favorites…Mac & cheese, broccoli! I’m going to attempt to make it gluten & dairy free!
If you didn’t want to add the broccoli, would you still add the onions? I’m just confused what you do to the roux if you don’t want the onions
If you don’t want the onions, you can just melt down the butter and flour together and cook them for a couple of minutes before moving on to the next step. :)
We added bacon crumbles to it! num nums!
I’ve tried a few different mac and cheese recipes. This is the only one I’ve actually loved. A previous poster suggested not as much onion so I used half the suggested amount, wasn’t nearly as nice. I don’t have hot sauce on hand so I used mustard powder. My hubby doesn’t like pasta and isn’t a fan of mac and cheese like me, but he requests this about once a week. I will say that higher quality cheese makes a difference.
WOW!! This was sooo good! My daughters both ate without gripe, one even had a second bowl. I look forward to buying your book.
Love this! makes for really good left overs too. I used medium cheddar instead of sharp because its cheaper and would probably add about a quarter cup more cheese to get the flavor. first time around i didnt use hot sauce but found it to add a lot of flavor the second time around. really cheap really easy and i usually have all the ingredients already. keeper
I made this tonight except I used colby/jack to my allergy to cheddar. It came out really well.
you could save even more on dishes and cook the broccoli and noodles directly in milk/broth! or even the liquid from canned tomatoes for extra flavour. one pot mac n cheese – i do it all the time :)
Made this the other night and it was super easy! We used wheat penne with frozen broccoli and they were good! I would recommend using a little bit more cheese though!
I’m thinking of turning this into a cheesey rice recipe. I’ll start by cutting the sauce in half so it doesn’t drown the rice. Do you think that would work and if so, any ideas as to what type of rice would work best?
Yeah, I think it would work great! I would cook the rice first and then just stir in the broccoli and sauce. Yum :)
KLC – A good way to tell is the color. It’s technically a white sauce, so you don’t want the roux to get dark, but watch for just the slightest turn towards tan. The color will start to change as the flour toasts. Usually its good in a minute or two, but the time will fluctuate with small differences in the amount of heat under the pot. It’s kind of one of those things that you just need to get the hang of :)
How do you tell when roux is cooked throughly? I was just going to cook it the estimated 1-2 mins but after reading the comments I’m worried it won’t be enough. I’m really looking forward to making this. My fiance’s favorite comfort food is cheese/broccoli meals so this looks awesome!
Used penne pasta and added ham. Very good. Sauce a bit watery but will be good for next day. Won’t be dried out
This is by far the best Mac and cheese I’ve ever made or eaten PERIOD!! I even added some cayenne for spice and it was AWESOME! I love your blog!
Lilly – Cheese sauces can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. I promise! Usually when the sauce gets grainy its because the sauce got overheated and started to separate. Try turning off the heat just as soon as the milk thickens, then stir in the cheese and let the residual heat melt it. Don’t give up :)
I made this tonight and followed your instructions exactly, and the flavor was good, but the texture was grainy and awful! I don’t know what went wrong! I guess I’m not cut out for cheese sauces :(
About 6 … it’s been a long time since I’ve made it, but I’m guessing it’s about a cup per serving.
How many servings does this make?
Add more cheese!!
This was amaaaazzinnggg. I shredded up some organic cheddar cheese and used frozen organic broccoli instead of fresh to save time. I didn’t use onions, just used onion powder. Didn’t use regular milk, just almond. Added a little cornstarch/cold water mix after I started simmering the milk to get it to thicken up quick. Then I added the pasta and broccoli and the clouds parted. Delicious. Had it for dinner with home made whole wheat rolls. I foresee the leftovers being my lunch tomorrow ;)
Anon – you can definitely do this without the onions :) I would suggest, though, adding a pinch of onion powder for flavor. It can be added at the end when you’re seasoning the sauce.
I am nervous to make this.. can it be done without the onions? My husband usually doesnt like onions, it looks like a lot in the pictures and seems like they would be clumpy in the sauce.
Tried this tonight and my cheese sauce was grainy. The flavor was good, just didn’t like the texture. Will try one more time using a milk other than skim (think it might be the culprit).
We made this and had quite a bit left over. Me being a broccoli junky I picked out all of the broccoli and ate it!! So that left us with cheesey noodles. Today for lunch I added a can of tuna, an 8oz can of tomato sauce and some frozen peas, reheated it on the stove and poof! It’s all gone, yum! :))
The cheese sauce didn’t quite come out as intended, tried three times. Always ended up with a very unpleasant and grainy mixture; I hesitate to call it sauce.
I don’t know what went wrong, but I had to make my own cheese sauce…
I just made this recipe. I liked the home-made feel of it and so easy! but it tasted a little watery and was kinda clumpy. I love the added brocc.
I like to add cayenne pepper to homemade mac & cheese. It adds a nice little kick, plus I think the little red flecks look pretty up against the cheese sauce :)
a way to make this even cheaper would be to use defrosted frozen broccoli..frozen veggies are usually close to a dollar and anything you dont use can just be put back in the freezer for another time (awesome for me since I live alone and fruits/veggies used to go bad before I could finish them). I also buy frozen chopped onions..they are already cut up so I dont have to and I rarely use a whole onion in a recipe so once again it doesnt waste food
this was very good :) my husband loved it. i followed it exactly but added panko breadcrumbs and baked at 350 for 15 mins (couldn’t wait any longer). adding hot sauce (we used franks) was definitely a good and in my opinion necessary addition. we added maybe 1tsp. then when we ate it we sprinkled it with ceyenne pepper. a very good and easy beginner’s mac & cheese!!! (ps: the more broc the better!)
I love adding veges in with Macaroni Cheese when I make it – especially things like tomatoes, mushrooms and silver beet (swiss chard). I like to add a pinch of nutmeg whenever I make cheese sauce. That helps wham up the flavour without having to add too much extra cheese. Or if I’m feeling really decadent, I’ll crumble in some blue cheese (but that starts to add to the price of course…).
This was sooo good! I loved it.
I’ve never been a big fan of homemade cheese sauces, but the hot sauce was the key! It really made the whole thing so much better. Thank you so much for sharing!
Great recipe! I added two cloves of garlic instead of onions then put frozen artichoke hearts in with the broccoli, stirred a half pound of spinach in with the cheese sauce, topped it all with a mix of pankow and Parmesan and baked it for 20 minutes.
I made this recipe tonight and it was really good! One complaint though… I absolutely LOVE onions and this recipe had wayyy too much onion for me.
I just made this and it was so yummy!! Thanks!!
Packaged, preshredded cheese is coated with chemicals to prevent clumping and can also make it difficult to melt smoothly–that may explain the issues with melting posted above.
Made this and then baked it with breadcrumbs and parmesan on top, and the roommate adored it. Excellent recipe, will definitely be using it again in the future. :D
Thanks for the tip, Beth, that might be it. I wasn’t confident about judging when the milk had properly thickened, so I let it cook for a while–maybe too long. I’ll keep that in mind if/when I try cheese sauce again!
Checarina, I think if the sauce over cooks it will “break” and start to separate or curdle… Was the graininess like very small curdles? If so, try turning off the burner just after the milk/roux has come to a simmer and thickened. The residual heat of the liquid should be enough to melt the cheese in. I hope that helps! Cheese sauce can be a little tricky at first but once you get into a groove with it, it’s easy!
I just tried this! My first attempt at making a cheese sauce, and I found your instructions easy to follow, and the results pretty darn tasty! The only thing is that the sauce is a little grainy–I was wondering if that was normal, or if it might be due to the flour? I did cook the roux for the 1-2 minutes recommended. Not that the texture is a dealbreaker; I’m just wondering if there’s a way to get a smoother sauce.
Wow, can’t wait to make this! Glad I could help think of a recipe idea.
Thanks, Kelly. I’m definitely going to try that. :)
Lilo, if you’re looking to cut salt but want the salty flavor, try Nori flakes. They are flakes of seaweed wrappers, which have a naturally salty flavor. Seaweed is really good for you and when flaked will add a nice salty touch without the sodium. It’s relatively inexpensive if you order online, too.
This looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Adding broccoli to mac and cheese is a stroke of brilliance. :D
A friend of mine turned me on to your sight and so far I’m loving it. I notice that you do end up using salt often which I’ve been trying to cut out. If it’s something you enjoy, I’ve found a little bit of ginger (I always have ginger paste on hand, but you can mince fresh ginger if you want) gives me the extra flavor I’m looking for without the extra salt. :)
Just want to say I tried this recipe last night, and I 1/2ed it because I was making just for myself. It was so easy and very delicious! I used skim milk,whole grain pasta, and reduced fat sargento shredded sharp cheddar. I also only had a red onion and not white but it worked just as well, I reduced the amount I diced up though because the flavor was so strong. You are my new favorite blogger!
Hmmm, any cheddar should work. Was your milk thickened before you tried to whisk in the cheese? I do know (from experience, unfortunately) that if you just try to stir cheese into hot milk it will just clump up on your spoon or whisk. That’s weird that it didn’t melt upon touching the hot, thickened milk. I’ll research it more later today and report anything I find.
Just tried making this tonight for dinner but not sure what went wrong. My cheddar cheese was clumpy and never melted. Are you suppose to use a specific type of cheddar cheese?
I love mac and cheese with a tempered egg in it, but alas I rarely do it slow enough to make sure it won’t scramble.
But do it right! Throw it in a casserole dish with some panko and cheese on top so it gets a crispy top and a gooey center.
this looks awesome! Adding it to my next menu plan :)
This is an awesome recipe! I love adding broccoli to my mac and cheese, plus broccoli is a great healthy addition to mashed potatoes too.
You never cease to amaze me with your creations. Can’t wait to make this, mac and cheese is my all time favorite food!
This looks wonderful! I love the idea of adding broccoli to the mac & cheese. If I might make a small suggestion of using Gruyere in addition to sharp cheddar cheese. It really adds a lot of richness and flavor though it can be expensive to purchase.
It’s important that you cook the roux thoroughly or it’ll taste floury.
Oh yum! Being from the south, we do love our Mac ‘n Cheese! I’m looking forward to trying your version, including the broccoli since I am a veggie fiend, too.
Peace & Love,
~Barb~