If you had told me when I bought my instant pot that I would be making mac and cheese in it, I wouldn’t have believed you! But I’ve learned that instant pot mac and cheese can be the easiest dinner and is so creamy and delicious. It’s like magic! Broccoli and cheddar is such a classic combination and one that I never get sick of. Broccoli cheddar soup? Sign me up. Bonus points if it’s in a bread bowl. That’s why this instant pot broccoli cheddar mac and cheese is my new favorite dinner!
Being almost 25 weeks pregnant with 3 kids in tow while we have very limited activity options due to COVID-19 right now, I need easy dinners. I love to cook, but I don’t want to spend a long time prepping dinner. I want something easy that I know my kids will eat, and it doesn’t get easier than this instant pot macaroni and cheese recipe. Normally only my youngest eats broccoli, but when it’s mixed in with mac and cheese? They’ll all gobble it up.
Instant pot broccoli cheddar mac and cheese couldn’t be easier. First, you cook the broccoli, which takes just ONE MINUTE at high pressure. Isn’t that amazing? I remove it with a slotted spoon before I move onto the next step. Cooking the broccoli with the pasta will give you some very mushy broccoli, so trust me when I say that this step is necessary. Next you dump all the ingredients except the cheese into the instant pot. After cooking at high pressure for five minutes, the pasta is perfectly tender. After that you simply stir in the cheese, add the broccoli back to the pot, and enjoy! No need to drain and set aside pasta and make a roux before melting cheese. All the steps are thrown into one for this easy dinner recipe.
- 4 cups chopped broccoli florets (I like to use a mix of bite-sized pieces and larger pieces)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided
- 16 oz. pasta of choice
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Add broccoli and 1 cup of the broth to the instant pot. Seal and set to high pressure for 1 minute, then manually release pressure. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.
- Add remaining 3 cups of broth, pasta, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to instant pot. Seal and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Once complete, manually release pressure. Stir in milk and cheddar cheese until creamy. Add broccoli back to pot and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
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