| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound medium shell pasta
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for the pasta water
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 cups grated mild provolone
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
- 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
- For the topping: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together the panko, Parmesan and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with the salt and set aside.
- For the pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 4 minutes, then reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and drain. Set aside.
- Place a medium braiser over medium heat. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour until smooth. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add the cream, whisking. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer, whisking often. Whisk in the provolone and Parmesan until melted and smooth. Season with the salt. Fold in the blanched pasta, reserved pasta water and the broccoli florets. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake in the top third of the oven until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 876 |
| Total Fat | 56 g |
| Saturated Fat | 33 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 159 mg |
| Sodium | 1001 mg |
Reviews
I was out of panko breadcrumbs so used crushes salad croutons! It was so good!! Hub loved it too! A new fav!!
This was pretty good, I added some chicken to make it more of a filling dinner rather than a side dish.
It was ok, but nothing special. To get this color on the topping, I had to place it under the broiler. I also didn’t realize I should have sprayed the pot with non-stick spray or butter, but unfortunately the noodles stuck to the cookware.
Delicious!
Parmesan is not vegetarian. It contains animal rennet. This is a good recipe but should not be displayed under vegetarian. Recipe was fire though
Exquisite mac and cheese—elevated. Made this exactly as written, first time as is my habit. Almost didn’t add the pasta water, but glad I did….Just amazing. I have a gas oven/stove, so I wasn’t able to do the top third of the oven, but this recipe still browned up beautifully! Totally doing this again.
Thanks Giada! Perfect!
This is the best Mac and cheese recipe. I did not add the broccoli. I also used orecchiette noodles. I’ve made is twice now and it is roll your eyes in the back of your head good!
This was perfect as is I made no adjustments and everyone loved it
I halved this recipe because I live alone and didn’t want to have more leftovers than I could eat in a few days. I did not have provolone on hand, so I substituted Monterey Jack. It came out perfectly. I added a little garlic powder to the topping for a bit more flavor.
Anyone know what constitutes a medium braiser? They come in a few dimensions.