Whole Grain Macaroni and Cheese
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for oiling dish
- ½pound whole grain macaroni shells, elbows, penne, or fusilli
- 1large broccoli crown, broken into small florets (about ¾ pound)
- 2tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 2tablespoons flour, sifted
- 3cups milk (1 percent, 2 percent or whole, to taste)
- Salt and white or black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 4ounces Gruyère, grated (1 cup tightly packed)
- 1ounce freshly grated Parmesan (¼ cup tightly packed)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
388 calories; 18 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 586 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add macaroni and cook al dente, a minute short of however long you typically cook pasta if you were serving it right away. Use a skimmer or strainer to lift macaroni from cooking water and transfer it to a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and set aside.
- Step 3
Add broccoli to boiling water and boil 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain, and then drain again on paper towels or a kitchen towel.
- Step 4
To make béchamel, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to very low and simmer, whisking often and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 15 minutes, until sauce has thickened and lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Remove from heat.
- Step 5
Strain béchamel while hot into the bowl with the pasta. Add cheeses and broccoli and stir together until pasta is nicely coated with sauce. Scrape into prepared baking dish.
- Step 6
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Tip
- You can make a béchamel up to a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator. If you lay a sheet of plastic or wax paper directly on the top, there is less chance that a skin will form. Reheat the béchamel before using, whisking vigorously. The casserole can be assembled one or two days ahead, and the baked casserole will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in a medium oven.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Rita Moran
I know flour is the traditional thickener for macaroni and cheese, but I use eggs instead to increase the protein and decrease the carbs. This works best if you drain the pasta (and I add the broccoli to the pasta and cook them together) add the rest of the ingredients (substituting two or three eggs for the flour) and cook over low heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. If you like a nice brown crusty version, bake it. If not, the stovetop version is great.
fredrik
Good recipe, but yields 6? 6 what? Mice?
I doubled the pasta and me and my two teen boys finished the whole thing without a problem.
I would say it yields 2, not 6.
I used cayenne instead of nutmeg to give a different flavor profile and it was good.
Stephen
I like the idea of using eggs rather than flour but how do you incorporate the eggs into the recipe? You cook the shallots in the saucepan and then crack 3 eggs and cook and then add milk, etc? Would you mind explaining this part. Thanks.
Jessica Gabrielsen
After reading all of the comments, I made the following changes. Used 2 1/4 cups of milk instead of 3, 1 onion instead of a shallot, 2 tbsp of butter to saute instead of oil Started heating milk while cooking onion Added the flour and cooked for a couple of min., then added milk, after sauce thickened, added cheddar cheese to the sauce. Cooked pasta for a few min. then threw in the broccoli. drained all at once and added sauce on top. Sprinkled with the parm and added bread crumbs.
Pat
This is delish. I added carmelized onions. I used cheddar cheese to appeal to some younger palates but would definitely use Gruyere for adults only. Or maybe a combo.
Lynn
I used apple-smoked gruyere and caramelized a small onion (rather than using the shallot), and I think that made a big difference in giving this some extra "oomph". I added the gruyere to the pasta+broccoli and reserved the parmesan to sprinkle on top. Going to so many steps to drain the broccoli is completely unnecessary and so is straining the béchamel. Good grief, just dump it in there. I agree, the béchamel did not thicken as I expected but it worked fine.
Karen
The béchamel sauce never thickened, even after 30 minutes of stirring. I decided to use it anyway and it came out fine. If I make it again I will use more cheese for a deeper flavor.
Marilyn Armbruster
I've made this twice and found it rather bland for our tastes. The second time, I reduced the amount of milk to 2 cups and used onion instead of shallots. Also added some mustard, didn't add nutmeg and topped it with some panko crumbs. Better but still needs some oomph
Gayle
I don't know how Rita would do it but I would add the milk first and heat it, then use some to temper the eggs. Otherwise you may end up with pieces of scrambled eggs.
Christa
I agree--I didn't strain my bechamel, either, and I just drained the broccoli on top of the pasta. Apple-smoked gruyere sounds like a great idea. I, too, used a small onion rather than a shallot, and caramelizing it would have made a difference, I think. I, too, thought about reserving the parmesan to sprinkle on top, and wish now that I had.
Amy
You need 1 Tbl of flour per cup of milk for a béchamel sauce to thicken properly. Straining the sauce is totally unnecessary, as is sifting the flour before hand. If you steam the broccoli and then set it aside uncovered to cool you won’t have to go through all that draining nonsense.
Max D.
The sauce didn't thicken as I had hoped, but the final results were good. I added a 1/2 broccoli and 1/2 cauliflower mix.
I brought this to a potluck, and everyone enjoyed it.
Pilar
Great basic recipe. I have had good results changing the cheeses. Adding a sharp cheddar, or pepper jack changes things up nicely. Also, used new Jacobsen garlic salt once,and a truffle salt another time. Lovely.
Apis
The Bechamel did not thicken like I expected. I added about 1/3 of a cup of flour (slowly) and that helped significantly. Also, I added extra sharp cheddar cheese instead of gruyere, and sprinkled about 1/4 of Italian bread crumbs on top for extra flavor (and salt).
It was delicious. I would make it again.
Paul
This recipe would also be good with other greens such as asparagus or simply fresh green peas.
dani
Used cayenne, paprika and mustard in addition to nutmeg in the sauce. Added the milk gradually to the flour. I also cooked the broccoli with the pasta, adding it to the pot for the last 3 minutes of the pasta boiling and straining and rinsing them in cold water together.
Ariel
This was pretty delicious once I integrated everyones suggestions: - caramelized the onion - added 1.5 tb of flour and heated up 2 cups of milk - slowly added the milk to the rue so it thickened - added 1.5 tsp of mustard powder 1 tsp of Dijon mustard. Also used sweet and smokey paprika since I didn't have nutmeg - added the cheese to the bechamel to thicken it - cooked the broccoli with the pasta - added spinach for a little more green - topped with parm and baked for 15 min
Jennifer
We loved this. I made it as directed in the recipe and it turned out great. The cheese really thickens the sauce if you’re worried about the bechamel. The only adjustment I needed was to use a larger casserole dish. I looked at my pile of broccoli and pasta, looked at my 2 quart dish, and said, yeah let’s use something bigger. Will make this again!
Haley
This is my new go-to Mac and cheese recipe. I measured from the heart (more shallot, used white pepper, doubled the whole recipe to share with neighbors) and when all was said and done, didn't even want to bake it! To me, it is perfect right off the stove. A really great comfort dish that travels well to share with sick or grieving loved ones.
Danielle
Made exactly as written. Didn’t have as much flavor as I expected. Would make again but try to add more spices.
BobB
Title is misleading. In 2014 it was called "Whole Grain Pasta, Broccoli and Cheese". Now retitled "Whole Grain Macaroni and Cheese"? I guess NYT Food Editor had nothing to do one day ;~) Recipe is unchanged - still whole grain pasta NOT macaroni and it has broccoli. My wife made it once, but the second time she used 15oz of ricotta instead of the bechamel. IMO tastes better and easier to make.
Danielle
I made with suggestions of others. I used 2 cups of warmed milk and some dried mustard and hot sauce. I made it in a small Dutch oven. It was tasty and would make again.
kathgal
Like many others I found 3 cups of milk to be far too much for this recipe. I reduced it to 2 cups and started the roux with butter instead of olive oil. Making the bechamel, I did not add all the milk at once as instructed but instead added a splash at a time while whisking. I had no issues with thickening using this method. Finally, to the nutmeg I also added some paprika and mustard powder. It was a hit!
Monica Roberts
I also found it bland, so this time I added a jalepeno with the shallot. After they softened, I added one clove garlic minced. I also used butter instead of oil and increased the gruyere by an additional 1/2 cup. Still finding the bechemal bland, I add a 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder and 2 tablespoons of dry sherry. Much better. I also used 12 oz of pasta.
bee g
Increased the flour and butter to 3tbs each to work with 3 cups 2% milk for bechamel. No shallot. Chopped & sauteed 1 large bunch swiss chard (instead of broccoli because that's what we had). Used a pinch of cayenne rather than nutmeg in bechamel. 1/2 pound cavatappi pasta. Increased cheese to scant cup gruyere and full cup grated sharp cheddar. Topped with whole wheat panko mixed with grated parm and dotted with butter. Was rich and sinful but excellent. 6 servings out of it.
Susan B.
The bechamel did not seem to thicken and it at first threatened to be soupy, but by letting it "coast" after baking, the dish turned out fine. Also, since I was unable to find kosher gruyere, I substituted emmental.
squeakalicious
I liked this. It was a nice change from the usual cheddar-based macs that I usually make. Based on others' notes on blandness, I added 1/2 teaspoon of powdered Colman's mustard (I've never met a mac 'n cheese recipe that didn't benefit from some powdered mustard). I used 3 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal salt and a generous amount of fresh pepper. My bechamel thickened nicely. Dusted the top with panko before baking. Very good.
sarah blair
Would have been fine if we had not expected Mac and cheese but broccoli with cheese sauce. And. Fine. Not great. Don’t need to try it again.
sarah blair
Lesson learned-always read the comments before not after you’ve been whisking the bechamel for 30 minutes and it hasn’t thickened. At all. Soooooo, will see.
Amy
You need 1 Tbl of flour per cup of milk for a béchamel sauce to thicken properly. Straining the sauce is totally unnecessary, as is sifting the flour before hand. If you steam the broccoli and then set it aside uncovered to cool you won’t have to go through all that draining nonsense.
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