Instant Pot Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Delicious Broccoli Mac and Cheese in Minutes

What’s the worst part about cooking a meal for your family? The clean-up. Not only does preparing lunch or dinner mean taking hours laboring over a hot oven, but it also comes with washing all the dishes used. Some meals can leave the worst messes that leave pots or pans looking dirty, even after vigorous scrubbing, but not broccoli mac and cheese.

Not every meal needs a ton of work to be delicious and rewarding. Take mac and cheese for instance. Who doesn’t love the creaminess of a simple, yet delicious meal that screams comfort food? You can even shake it up by adding broccoli for a refreshing twist.

While only a minimal number of ingredients are needed for broccoli mac and cheese, it can still take some preparation with the pasta and the cheese sauce which will leave you with a messy counter. 

Let’s minimize cooking and cleaning tonight with broccoli mac and cheese.

Speeding Things Up with an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is the kitchen appliance you’ve been waiting for your entire life. It will save time, and make otherwise labor-intensive recipes a weeknight breeze. It is also all-in-one, helping you to cut down on how many pots and pans you have to scrub.

There is a lot you can make with your Instant Pot, but one of the easiest meals to prepare is broccoli mac and cheese. All it takes is adding a few ingredients at a time and a few button pushes to satisfy your hunger in minutes.

When it comes to using your Instant Pot, here’s a tip: don’t overfill it. Doing so will leave you with a big mess to clean up that you are trying to avoid.

Why Broccoli?

So why are we adding broccoli to our mac and cheese in the first place? Vegetables are filling too and including broccoli will sate your appetite. Plus, it will add a refreshing element that will elevate your mac and cheese from an appetizer to a full dish.

Broccoli also has plentiful health benefits. For example, it is rich in nutrients, like vitamins C and K1. Vitamin C is important for skin health whereas vitamin K1 promotes bone health. Broccoli is also linked to a reduced risk of many cancers, including lung and breast cancer.

Cheddar and broccoli are a classic combination. You have probably had broccoli cheddar soup or broccoli and cheddar in a baked potato before. Even if you’re not a fan of cheddar, adding melted cheese to broccoli can transform any plate and make eating broccoli fun for children.

With all these benefits, you’ll want to use best practices for washing and storing your broccoli so that it lasts and you can make the most out of it.

A Recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Now that you know the benefits of cooking with an Instant Pot and eating more broccoli, it’s time to make tonight’s dinner; broccoli mac and cheese.

Thanks to Chungah from DamnDelicious.net, here’s a recipe for Instant Pot broccoli mac and cheese to try!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (5-ounce) can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup half and half*
• 12 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Add pasta, butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Stir in 4 1/2 cups water.
2. Select manual setting; adjust the pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
3. Select high sauté setting. Stir in broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and liquid has reduced, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in Dijon and garlic powder.
4. Select warm setting. Stir in milk and half and half until warmed, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in cheese until melted, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes:

*Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.

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Smith’s Farm Broccoli

You can find fresh and sustainably grown broccoli at Smith’s Farm! Learn more about our practices for producing the healthiest produce for our customers.