What do you do when you discover two heads of broccoli lurking in the back of your fridge? Well you make a Baked Broccoli Cheese Casserole of course!
Easy Baked Broccoli Cheese Casserole
The other evening I was seasoning a couple of pork tenderloins for Steve to grill on his new Jumbo Joe Weber charcoal grill, when I realized I needed a side dish. I started rummaging through the refrigerator when I ferreted out the above mentioned broccoli. I vaguely remembered buying that package of broccoli a couple of weeks prior. Oops!
Fortunately the broccoli was still edible. But if I had not used it that night, it most likely would have needed to be tossed. I hate wasting food. So I started looking to see what else I had hiding in the deep recesses of my fridge. Lo and behold, I had a chunk of really great, seriously sharp cheddar cheese and a knob of parmigiana reggiano. The light bulb lit up. Ding. Ding. Ding. All I needed to do was make a cheese sauce and pour it over my broccoli florets.
I started by cutting up those broccoli heads into bite sized pieces, which I placed in my buttered baking dish. Then in a small saucepan, over medium heat, I blended 2 tablespoons of Wondra flour and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. I kept stirring as the butter melted and became one with the flour. Once my roux reached a rich golden brown color I added some milk and grated cheddar and parm.
My Baked Broccoli Cheese Casserole was certainly camera ready!!!
As soon as the cheese melted into the sauce, I poured it over the broccoli and grated just a bit more parm on top. My casserole baked in the oven at 350º F for about 20 to 30 minutes until it was hot, golden and bubbly. When I removed it from the oven Steve and I both gasped with delight at how picture perfect it looked. Guess what? It tasted even better than it looked.
Don’t you just love a side dish that is a show stopper but so easy to prepare that you can enjoy it on a weekday?
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Baked Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Easy, cheesy side dish that is so good that you might not be able to stop eating it! Two heads of broccoli florets should be enough for 4 servings. But this casserole is so delicious that 2 of us polished off the entire dish!!!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 - 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 heads broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for your baking dish
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 cup whole milk, unsweetened unflavored almond milk, rice milk or soy milk
1 cup freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesano reggiano, plus about 2 tablespoons for topping
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using Morton’s, use 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter a gratin dish or casserole large enough to hold all of the broccoli. Place the broccoli florets in the buttered baking dish in an even layer and set aside.
To a small saucepan placed over medium heat, add the butter and flour. Whisk constantly to cook off the raw flour taste and create a roux, about 3 to 5 minutes. When the roux is a rich golden brown add the milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheeses. Stir until the cheese is completely melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with the salt and pepper, and immediately pour over the broccoli. Top with the remaining grated parmesan.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese sauce is bubbly and golden brown. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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