minimalist broccoli shells n cheese
Despite relying on a somewhat obscure ingredient, according to my analytics dashboard my recipe for ho-made Velveeta broccoli shells and cheese is the second-most popular recipe on this site. However, the sorts of moments where an appearance by shells and cheese would be most appreciated are not always the moments where messing with sodium citrate feels achievable. So today, we have an equally soul-stirring but vastly simplified rendition of broccoli shells and cheese, adapted for emergency use with minimal ingredients everybody can keep around and that dirties only one pot in the process.
The technique is as simple as it gets: fill a pot with water, add frozen broccoli and salt, heat it to boiling, add pasta, cook, drain it all, then add cream and cheese and seasonings and stir over low heat til it’s glossy and smooth. Having also tested this with fresh broccoli, frozen really is best; because frozen vegetables are blanched prior to freezing, the broccoli keeps its nice bright green color even after boiling it to death, the process of which breaks it down from big florets into silky, sexy broccoli sauce.
I’ve written it the way I like to make it, but you can customize it with whatever you have: using frozen cauliflower instead of broccoli, switching up the cheeses, or adding leftover grilled chicken (like we did with the leftovers) at the final step. Just make sure at least one of the cheeses you use is sharp, like cheddar or parm, or the finished dish will be missing an essential part of its edge.
We will not kid ourselves: it’s January and this is not health food and it never will be. But does it need to be? Sometimes you’re “healthy” because you ate a salad, and sometimes the “healthiest” thing you can do is soak up the prior night’s sins and start fresh so you can (maybe) be better the next day without flagellating yourself into the ground because today you still are the same amount of bad as yesterday.
Let the world be thy judge. Broccoli mac will not.
RECIPE
A one-pot, 20 minute path to the simplest and best homemade broccoli shells and cheese of your life. Velveeta who?
Effortful time: <5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Written for 1 lb. of pasta, but can be easily cut in half for smaller portions
YOU NEED
12 oz. frozen broccoli florets
1 lb. shell pasta or a similar shape
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
Pinch of sweet paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, for serving
make it
Start the broccoli. Fill a pot with water, salt it, and add 12 oz. frozen broccoli. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the pasta. Once it’s boiling, dump in 1 lb. of pasta. Stir. Cook for 2 minutes less than package directions.
Drain but save some pasta water.
Make the sauce. Add the drained broccoli-pasta mixture back to the pan. Heat over low heat. Pour over cream and season with paprika, salt, and pepper, then stir. Then add handfuls of cheese, stirring the entire time, until it becomes silky and glossy, splashing in a little bit of pasta water to keep it looking saucy.
Finish and serve. You’re already here, so what’s a little extra cheese on top?