One Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Back-to-school shopping. The ritual. Target, the commissary, the list that gets longer every year. First grade supplies: backpack (still dinosaur print — the brand loyalty is fierce), notebooks (plural now — they need MORE than one), pencils, erasers, a ruler (what does a first grader need with a ruler?), and 'a personal reading book for quiet time.' Caleb chose a book about great white sharks for his quiet time reading. The boy is committed. Hazel's preschool supplies are simpler: a backpack (she chose pink, obviously), a change of clothes, a water bottle, and a comfort item for nap time. Her comfort item is a stuffed dinosaur that Caleb gave her when she was born. It's named 'Di-Di' (Hazel's original word for dinosaur). Di-Di has survived two years, three moves, and approximately four hundred wash cycles. Di-Di is unkillable. Ryan took us all shopping. He pushed the cart with military precision — straight lines, no unnecessary aisle detours, mission-focused. I deviated to look at kitchen towels. He sighed the sigh of a man married to a woman who cannot pass kitchen towels without touching them. 'We have kitchen towels, Rachel.' 'These ones have LEMONS on them.' 'We have towels.' 'LEMONS, Ryan.' I bought the lemon towels. Some battles the Marine loses. Made sloppy joes tonight. The back-to-school-shopping fuel. One pan, fast, the kids eat it without complaint. Shopping is exhausting. Sloppy joes don't ask much. Backpacks. Shark books. Lemon towels. The preparations.

Sloppy joes are my go-to on days when Target has claimed my last nerve, but this one-pot broccoli mac and cheese is cut from the exact same cloth — one pan, fast, and the kids eat it without staging a protest. After an afternoon of dinosaur backpacks, shark books, and a spirited debate about lemon towels, this is the kind of dinner that just quietly gets done while you stare at the wall and decompress. It’s not glamorous. It doesn’t need to be. Back-to-school prep takes everything you have, and this recipe gives a little of it back.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 5

Ingredients

3 cups dry elbow macaroni
3 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Start the pasta. Add the dry macaroni, broth, milk, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder to a large, deep skillet or pot. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Cook until nearly tender. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring often, for about 10–12 minutes, until the pasta is just shy of al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed. The mixture should look slightly saucy — not dry.
Add the broccoli. Stir in the broccoli florets, pressing them lightly into the pasta. Cover the pot and cook for another 4–5 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp and the pasta is fully cooked.
Melt in the cheese. Remove from heat. Add the cheddar and Monterey Jack in two or three handfuls, stirring between each addition until fully melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Season and serve. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately straight from the pot — because washing an extra bowl is not happening tonight.

Nutrition (per serving)

One Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese — The Dinner That Asks Nothing of You