You know what’s awesome about Thanksgiving food? We take generally healthy ingredients – poultry, potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, cranberries – and find a way to douse them all in butter, sugar, fat and salt. It’s indulgent, it’s American, and it’s amazing. My Mom makes some of the best turkey and stuffing I’ve ever tasted and her cousin always brings a great broccoli and cheese casserole, which is fluffy and rich and makes broccoli taste like junk food.
For this post, I tried to make a side dish that’s decadent enough for a Thanksgiving table, but also might be served at a dinner party year-round. That meant no frizzled onions and no condensed soup or soup mix (1950s-era staples that I generally avoid but are totally acceptable on holidays). I call this Broc’n’Cheese because it came out tasting like that all-American pasta classic – but with broccoli. Perhaps it could be a good alternative to mac for a gluten free guest?
This recipe can be doubled or tripled or gazippled for Turkey Day…
Ingredients:
2 large heads broccoli, florets only
2 tblsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
½ cup grated good-quality extra sharp cheddar
½ cup grated gruyere cheese
pinches of the following spices: nutmeg, garlic powder, paprika & mustard powder
½ cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut and rinse your broccoli florets. (Reserve the stems for another recipe.) Steam the florets until bright green and cooked al dente. Let stand, uncovered, while you prepare the béchamel.
Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan and add flour, whisking quickly to create a very light roux. Lower heat to medium and add milk, whisking away the lumps. This is your béchamel sauce – keep whisking as it gets hotter and thickens, making sure the sides don’t scald. When it starts bubbling slowly, bring the flame down to low and add dashes of the spices (less than a teaspoon of each) and S&P. Add cheese and stir until melted and all the spices are combined.
Spread the steamed broccoli out into a baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over it. Quickly melt the last ½ tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan and add the breadcrumbs. Toast in butter 1-2 minutes and then pour it evenly over the broccoli and cheese. Bake the casserole for about 15 minutes or until cheese sauce is bubbling.
Let stand a few minutes and then serve! You won’t feel guilty about trying three different pies because you ate your broccoli – drenched in cheese, butter and milk, of course.
This was delicious! Sent a casserole of it to a friend. My daughter was drooling over it! Thanks.
So glad to hear it worked out! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂