2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
black pepper
For the topping:
1 cup panko crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Takes ,
serves 8.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko and toss in the pan to coat. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Continue to cook until crumbs turn a light brown colour. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to small bowl.
Prepare sauce: Melt butter in medium-sized pot. Add shallots, garlic, mustard and cayenne and cook until shallots are soft and translucent. Sprinkle with flour and stir, continuing to cook for 1 or 2 minutes until flour is browned. Whisk in broth followed by the milk and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the Gruyère cheese until melted.
Prepare broccoli: Place broccoli into a medium-sized pot. Cover with water and add a sprinkle of kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon. Bring to a boil then cook for 2½ minutes. Strain through a colander, leaving broccoli to drain completely. Reserve.
Assemble: Spill broccoli into a 9 x 13-inch glass dish or oven-safe casserole crock. Pour cheese sauce over broccoli. Top with half the grated cheddar, followed by half of the panko crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining cheese and panko.
Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until top is bubbling and slightly golden.
Remove from oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole:
2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
black pepper
For the topping:
1 cup panko crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko and toss in the pan to coat. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Continue to cook until crumbs turn a light brown colour. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to small bowl.
Prepare sauce: Melt butter in medium-sized pot. Add shallots, garlic, mustard and cayenne and cook until shallots are soft and translucent. Sprinkle with flour and stir, continuing to cook for 1 or 2 minutes until flour is browned. Whisk in broth followed by the milk and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the Gruyère cheese until melted.
Prepare broccoli: Place broccoli into a medium-sized pot. Cover with water and add a sprinkle of kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon. Bring to a boil then cook for 2½ minutes. Strain through a colander, leaving broccoli to drain completely. Reserve.
Assemble: Spill broccoli into a 9 x 13-inch glass dish or oven-safe casserole crock. Pour cheese sauce over broccoli. Top with half the grated cheddar, followed by half of the panko crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining cheese and panko.
Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until top is bubbling and slightly golden.
Remove from oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
5 / 5. 2
Tender-crisp broccoli enveloped in a rich, creamy cheese sauce then baked in the oven with a cheesy, crispy topping…
The answer to all our follower requests for a satisfying side, here’s our very CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE.
A few months back we asked our followers if there were any recipes they’d like us to craft for the holidays, and quite a few of you answered back requesting a vegetable side dish. Hats off to Lucille from Corpus Christi, Texas who cut to the chase; “Nik, I’d love a quick and easy CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE, but make sure there’s lots of cheese!”. Lots of cheese, you say? Well, this one’s for you, Lucille, and everyone else out there looking for a delicious, solid veggie side dish.
Although this recipe can be served for brunch, lunch or dinner, it’s especially ideal for holiday gatherings. If you’re in charge of the entire meal, assemble this the day before, place it in the refrigerator and then just bake it off on the big day. Also, if you need something to bring to a potluck, this always gets rave reviews.
If you’re looking for additional holiday recipes to round out your menu, check out our FAVOURITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES. All of these recipes work for Christmas too. Yay!
Before we go through a few things to consider, how about a request? Please remember to PIN this recipe on a favourite Pinterest board. We’d also love it if you’d SHARE this post with friends. We appreciate seeing pics whenever you make our recipes, so use #weekendatthecottage when you post your photos on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for sharing with the world!
Now, here are the details on making a CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE:
INGREDIENTS
Looking at this group of ingredients, you can’t help but think how good this is going to be, and spoiler alert, it is. We worked the recipe so the flavour of the broccoli takes centre stage. Pairing that fresh vegetable flavour with the sweetness of sautéed shallots and garlic, plus the grassy, nuttiness of the two cheeses makes for one delicious dish.
BROCCOLI
You know how health and nutrition experts are always suggesting we eat more vegetables? Well, this recipe actually makes you want to, which is good since BROCCOLI is so healthy for us. Loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, it’s a great source of vitamin C, K, plus iron and, potassium. A member of the cabbage family, broccoli is also good for heart health and contains fibre. We suggest fresh broccoli, as the test using frozen broccoli worked but lost some of that wonderful taste. However, if you find yourself in a pinch, you can go ahead and use frozen.
One thing to mention about cooking the broccoli for the recipe is keeping it tender-crisp. The goal is to serve the finished side dish so that the broccoli florets are still a bit crunchy. We suggest boiling it for no more than 2 1/2 minutes before straining it into a colander. For a crispier veggie dish, plunge the boiled broccoli into cold water to further stop the cooking process. During testing, we all agreed that the still-crunchy texture delivers way more flavour and bite.
TWO CHEESES
Splurging on good quality cheese is this recipe’s pro tip. We suggest heading to the deli section in your supermarket or a local cheese store to speak to the experts about a premium Swiss Gruyère for this recipe. It’s often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming bolder as it matures with a more earthy and complex flavour profile. It melts easily to create a silky sauce for this broccoli side dish recipe. We then added aged sharp cheddar cheese into the mix as an element for the topper. It has a pleasing bitterness, yet a full, fine flavour akin to a hazelnut.
BAKING DISH
Although we used a standard oven-safe glass casserole dish for this post, feel free to use something a bit fancier. Earthenware crocks, stainless baking dishes and enamelled cast ironware will all work. We’ve listed some of our favourites down below in case you need to purchase. Hey, wait! There’s an idea; buy a new dish, make the recipe in it, then take it to friends for them to enjoy. They’ll devour the tasty casserole and get to keep the dish? Sounds like a win-win to me!
CHEESE SAUCE
Yes, this is the same Mornay sauce we used to make these popular HOT BROWN TURKEY SANDWICHES. We also used this cheese sauce on our CROQUE MONSIEUR because when a sauce is this good, you find reasons to make it often.
The one little tweak for this casserole dish is the addition of dry mustard. It adds a pleasing heat to the finished dish.
TOPPING
Butter and panko and garlic, oh my! A friend first served me this topping of crunchy deliciousness on a salad this past summer. I loved the subtle garlic flavouring of the panko mixed up with the big cheesy flavour of the melted cheddar.
Everyone who tries it agrees, that this casserole topping is way better than bread crumbs, ritz crackers or crushed potato chips.
OVEN BAKED
More good news, the bake time for this broccoli cheese casserole recipe is just 15 minutes. As mentioned, you can make the various components and assemble the dish in advance. Then, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. That short cook time is also helpful on holidays when oven space may be at a premium. Love when simple recipes are easy too!
SERVE
Truth be told, I enjoyed a very large helping of this casserole on shoot day. It ended up being a very enjoyable lunch, even though it was meant to be a side for a delicious main. For maximum enjoyment, try it with our ROASTED TURKEY, this GLAZED OVEN-BAKED HAM, our PORK TENDERLOIN or this SIRLOIN TIP ROAST. It pairs well with pretty much anything.
CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE is an essential recipe we know you’ll love.
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Ingredients
For the casserole:
2 pounds broccoli, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
black pepper
For the topping:
1 cup panko crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small skillet over moderate heat. Add panko and toss in the pan to coat. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Continue to cook until crumbs turn a light brown colour. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to small bowl.
Prepare sauce: Melt butter in medium-sized pot. Add shallots, garlic, mustard and cayenne and cook until shallots are soft and translucent. Sprinkle with flour and stir, continuing to cook for 1 or 2 minutes until flour is browned. Whisk in broth followed by the milk and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the Gruyère cheese until melted.
Prepare broccoli: Place broccoli into a medium-sized pot. Cover with water and add a sprinkle of kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon. Bring to a boil then cook for 2½ minutes. Strain through a colander, leaving broccoli to drain completely. Reserve.
Assemble: Spill broccoli into a 9 x 13-inch glass dish or oven-safe casserole crock. Pour cheese sauce over broccoli. Top with half the grated cheddar, followed by half of the panko crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining cheese and panko.
Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until top is bubbling and slightly golden.
Remove from oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
