Broccoli Cheese Casserole

34 recipes that celebrate fall vegetables

BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:

Oh lala. This isn’t your grandmother’s broccoli and cheese casserole.

An easy broccoli casserole that tastes amazing

The ingredients? Broccoli of course, then bacon, flour, milk, cream, eggs, cheddar cheese, a little Dijon, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

The tricks to this broccoli and cheese casserole are:

Pre-cook the broccoli florets something to tenderize them in the casserole.
Use bacon because bacon makes everything taste better.
Season with black pepper. Just freshly cracked black pepper. Use as much as you can bear; it will make your broccoli and cheese casserole sing.

Many thanks to the love of my culinary life, Dorie Greenspan, who provided the inspiration and basic structure for this broccoli and cheese casserole recipe with a fabulous cauliflower gratin in her cookbook Around My French Table (tip, buy this book for you and everyone your friends, it’s stunning.)

Frozen vs fresh broccoli

Fresh broccoli is best in the recipe, but you can use frozen broccoli as well. Microwave frozen broccoli florets for half the time listed on package directions. You continue cooking with the rest of the casserole.

How to store and reheat this dish

Store this casserole tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the microwave or the remainder in the foil-covered baking dish at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

How to Freeze Broccoli Cheddar Casserole

To Freeze a Fully Cooked Whole Casserole: If you know you’re going to freeze the whole cooked casserole, line the casserole dish with foil and pull the foil down the sides. Assemble and cook the casserole. Let it cool down completely. Cover the casserole in the casserole dish with foil. Freeze until just completely frozen through. Remove from the freezer and remove the casserole from the casserole dish. Hold the foil on it and wrap it around. Add a second layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Unwrap the top layer of foil to thaw. Return the frozen casserole to its original casserole dish. Thaw in the fridge. Once completely thawed, reheat at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until completely heated through.

For freezing cooked casseroles: Wrap individual slices of broccoli cheddar casserole in a layer of plastic wrap, and then in a layer of foil. Freeze up to 3 months.

Thaw in the fridge. Microwave or oven at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

Can’t get enough broccoli and cheese? Try these recipes

Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli and Cheddar Quesadillas
Broccoli Cheddar Bites

preparation time
15 minutes

cooking time
55 minutes

total time
70 minutes

portions
5 servings

Prepare your ingredients while heating the blanching water to save time.

Save your broccoli stalks! You can peel them with a vegetable peeler, then slice and eat like celery.

This recipe calls for baking in a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish. If the dish is flat, the baking time will be reduced. If it is deep, the casserole will need more baking time.

2 pounds (900 g) broccoli, stems removed and crowns cut into florets (approx 8th cups broccoli florets)
2 strips Thick-cut bacon (Above 2 ounces)Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips
5 big eggsbeaten
1/3 cup (43G) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (118ml) heavy cream
1 cup (236ml) whole milk
2 to 3 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (1 to 2 teaspoons if using finely ground black pepper)
1/2 teaspoon kosher Salt
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
8 ounces (225G) Cheddar cheese, grated

Blanch the broccoli florets:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 tablespoon of salt to 2 liters of water). Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just soft enough for a fork to easily pierce the florets but are still firm. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
Cook bacon:

While the water is coming to a boil in step one, sauté the bacon pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned but not crispy. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Put aside.
Preheat the oven and prepare the dish:

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Butter a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
Make the egg mixture:

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the flour, then stir in the cream and milk. Add the black pepper (more or less to taste), salt and mustard. Mix in about a third of the cheese.
Assemble casserole:

Place the blanched broccoli florets in the casserole dish and sprinkle about a third of the cheese over the broccoli florets as you set them down. Scatter pieces of bacon over the broccoli.

Pour the egg, cream, milk and cheese mixture over the broccoli, stirring the broccoli pieces a little so that the mixture gets into all nooks and crannies. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese.
Bake:

Bake until casserole is set, 25 to 40 minutes depending on the depth of the casserole dish. Once the top is browned, you can cover it with aluminum foil to keep it from burning.