Broccoli mac and cheese: you coat 300 g macaroni in a sauce with 150 g Edam

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Cook the pasta and broccoli

   15 min

   Cut the broccoli into small florets, then peel and dice the stalk. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package directions. Add the broccoli 4 minutes before the pasta is done. Reserve half a cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and broccoli.

2. Make the sauce

   8 min

   Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly without letting it brown. Gradually pour in the cold milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Cook the sauce for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.

3. Stir in the cheese

   2 min

   Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the shredded cheese and a pinch of nutmeg, and stir until the cheese melts. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.

4. Combine and serve

   Add the pasta and broccoli to the sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately while hot; the sauce will thicken as it stands.

Tip: Stir the cheese into the sauce only after taking it off the heat, as boiling could make it curdle and turn the sauce grainy. You can replace the broccoli with cauliflower or frozen peas; the peas only need to cook for the last 2 minutes.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Syrové cestoviny s brokolicou bez mäsa: 300 g kolienok zalejete omáčkou zo 150 g eidamu