This is one of the simplest recipes, and it comes out real great. Macaroni on its own is decent if you make a good sauce, but it lacks any texture - it’s all just a soft pile of starch. In comes broccoli - slightly crunchy, and healthy for you.
I use simple macaroni (or shells) from Trader Joes. They all work pretty good. But don’t rely on those little packets of powder they give.
Once the macaroni is cooked (don’t overdo it or they’ll be too soft and it won’t be good), drain it well and then put it into a pan. Then add a few spoons of cream cheese and mix it in over a low flame, letting it melt. I usually just eyeball it - there’s no exact amount to put, just do what feels right. Now if you want, you can put that powdered stuff it comes with. The ones from Trader Joe’s aren’t that bad - but if its Kraft you might want to just leave it out.
Now for the cheeses. You’ll want to put in something sharp - like sharp cheddar - and I like to put in a bit of mozarella for texture, or a just whatever’s around. This generally takes a couple minutes, so maybe 10-15 minutes total, depending on how long the macaroni takes to cook (generally 8-9).
I bring up the time because it’s a bit important to coordinate this correctly. We’ll be steaming broccoli, and we want it done just around the time that the macaroni is done, so that they’ll both be warm and fresh. I’ve found that starting the broccoli 6 or 7 minutes after you start boiling the macaroni works pretty well.
Selecting good broccoli is quite important - some are really good and some are awful. Basically, you want it as hard and firm as you can. So look for the young small tightly packed buds - and not the old loose flowers. We don’t care for the stems, just the crowns.
We’ll be steaming - steaming is really good nutritionally, because all the nutrients are not washed out (as in boiling). Steaming is pretty simple - google it if you don’t know how. The trick here is to undercook it a bit, and keep it crunchy. Not raw, but with a slight crunch. Just be sure not to overcook it or else it’ll be mushy and not good. Around 4 minutes generally works well.
Then mix the two (macaroni & broccoli) together.
And lastly.. top with a little bit of parmesan cheese if that’s how you like it.
Comments
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Kermit
2 years, 3 months ago
Thanks, I’m going to make that tonight.
Ben
2 years, 3 months ago
If my parents go out i’ve gotta give this a try :D
neil
2 years, 2 months ago
what do you think your a cook now
Will Phillips
2 years, 2 months ago
Ah, but the magic happens when you heat up some chicken to go with the broccoli (although, I admittedly like mine a bit more on the mushy side). Behold the power of pasta!
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