Broccoli Cheddar & Jalapeño Cavatappi
with Crispy Fried Onions
- Wheat
- Milk
This dish is a spicy mash-up of two comfort food classics: broccoli cheddar soup and mac ‘n’ cheese. The result? Twice the deliciousness! After sautéing broccoli and jalapeño, you’ll whip up a creamy, cheesy sauce packed with cheddar and sour cream. Just stir in curly cavatappi pasta, top with crispy fried onions and scallion greens, and dig in!
Ingredients
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
½ cup
White Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 unit
Jalapeño
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Crispy Fried Onions
(Contains: Wheat)
½ cup
Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Broccoli
1 ounce
Vidalia Onion Paste
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces if necessary. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Finely dice jalapeño, removing ribs and seeds for less heat.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, scallion whites, a pinch of salt, pepper, and as much jalapeño as you like. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 4-6 minutes. • Reduce heat to low; stir in white cheddar, cheddar, cream cheese, sour cream, Vidalia onion paste, garlic powder, half the Tuscan Heat Spice, and ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (all the Tuscan Heat Spice and ¾ cup pasta water for 4 servings). Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. TIP: If pasta is not done cooking, ladle pasta cooking water directly from pot. Keep broccoli and sauce covered off heat until pasta is finished cooking.
• Stir drained cavatappi into pan with sauce until thoroughly coated. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. TIP: If pasta seems dry, stir in splashes of reserved pasta cooking water as needed. • Divide pasta between bowls; top with scallion greens and crispy fried onions. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: When all the ingredients come together, the dish is a comforting, cheesy crowd-pleaser; many found it bland, though, and needed extra salt, pepper, or cheese to bring it to life 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy on a weeknight; let the pan cool slightly before adding the cheese sauce to avoid a grainy or broken texture.
- Suggestions: Add more pasta water gradually to keep the sauce loose and creamy — it thickens fast. The Tuscan Heat Spice was polarizing; use half or leave it out if you prefer a milder, more classic mac-and-cheese flavor.
- Leftovers: Leftovers reheat well with a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce; the dish keeps nicely for next-day lunches.
- Protein: Many reviewers added chicken, ground beef, or bacon to round out the meal — it's an easy and satisfying upgrade for those wanting more protein.
Reviews from our home cooks
Added cottage cheese for protein, undercooked the pasta and baked all in oven with fried onion topper for the win. Boiled the broccoli with the pasta after 5 minutes and used heavy cream instead of pasta water to make the bake. Would be good with some carrot with the broccoli. Will do that next time.
I messed up the sauce and made it super thick because I added the water too late. But it was honestly perfect and maybe even better that way. I won't lose weight eating this but it's healthier than many cheesy pastas because of the broccoli!
I LOVE BROCCOLI & MAC & CHEESE! I was SO excited to see this recipe! It's my favorite go-to comfort/healthy meal. I would love to try another version with crispy panko instead of fried onions.
Could have used some more broccoli, but loved the flavors with the crispy onions on top
The sauce was so disgusting texture-wise when making it but then once mixed with the pasta it was quite tasty. It took a while to get the broccoli to cook to the right consistency. This is a good side dish to chicken or another protein.
The flavor was good but a bit too light and not as tasty. I love the taste of the broccoli and onions.
A little too oniony for my liking - I would include panko bread crumbs and toast them and put on top instead of the crispy onions
Cheddar was too strong a flavor for broccoli and noodles. A milder white cheese, or some other ingredient might have worked better.
The crispy fried onions were missing from my box, but despite their absence, the meal is still good and I appreciate the relative simplicity of the recipe.
