The Best Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole Recipe For Family Dinners

 

I love the farm markets this time of the year. They are loaded with a wonderful selection of fresh local vegetables. Right now, I am being spoiled with really lovely heads of cauliflower and broccoli, and at a really good price! I wish I had more room in my freezer as I would buy up loads and freeze the for the winter ahead when these two vegetable loves of mine are a lot pricier!

I love both of these cruciferous vegetables and when they are in season I try to eat as much of them as I can!  This recipe which I am sharing with you today comes from a Gooseberry Patch book entitled "Welcome Autumn" and is attributed to Sandy Coffy of Cincinatti, Ohio.

 

Both cauliflower and broccoli are combined with sweet onions and cooked until crispy tender before draining and pouring in a buttered baking dish.  They are bathed in a lush creamy sauce and then topped with plenty of rich melty cheese and buttered cracker crumbs prior to baking to bubbly cheesy perfection!

This is a dish which goes together quickly and easily, and which can be made ahead of time which makes it perfect for entertaining!

It is also delicious enough to serve to company or as a holiday side dish. You decide!  Prepare to fall in love. Quick and easy to make and oh so delicious!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE 

CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

There is nothing complicated about any of this!

• 1/2 head of fresh cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into florets
• 1/2 head of fresh broccoli, trimmed and chopped into florets
• 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tin condensed cream of celery soup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (352g) grated cheddar cheese
• 12 buttery round crackers, crushed
• 3 TBS cold butter, thinly sliced to dot

 

My cauliflower and broccoli were medium sized and of a similar size to each other. I got about 2 cups of florets from each half, yielding about 4 cups of vegetables altogether.

True confession, I did not have any cream of celery soup on this day so used cream of chicken which worked beautifully. You could use any cream of soup.

I grated my own cheese for this. A strong Canadian white cheddar.

I used Townhouse crackers which are not round but rectangular but are roughly the same size as the round ones. I crushed them coarsely with my hands.  They have the same flavor and consistency as the round ones.

I used salted butter. very cold from the refrigerator, sliced very thinly with a sharp knife.

 

HOW TO MAKE

CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

This is one very easy to make casserole.  Simple ingredients put together in a very simple way.

1. Place the cauliflower, broccoli and onion in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, drain well. (I add a pinch of salt to the water. Make sure you drain the vegetables really well so as not to dilute the sauce.)
2. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a 2 QT (2 liter) shallow casserole dish really well, Tip the vegetables into the dish and spread out evenly. (You can use a low-fat baking spray or softened butter to grease the dish. Butter does taste nice.)
3. Whisk the soup, undiluted, together with the cream and spoon this over top of the vegetables. (I apply it in little dabs all over the top of the vegetables and then use the bottom of a spoon to spread it out.)
4. Grate your cheese and sprinkle it evenly over top of the soup. (You could use a pre-grated cheese for this but generally speaking I like to grate my own cheese.)
5. Crumble the crackers over top of the cheese and dot with butter. (I use cold butter and cut it into thin slices, placing them evenly over top.)
6. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling and golden brown. (You can pop it under the grill/broiler for a few minutes to really give it a golden-brown color if you wish.)
7. Serve warm.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED TO USE BOTH CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI?

Not at all you can use all of either one or the other and this will still be delicious!

CAN I USE FROZEN CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI?

Absolutely. You will not need to cook the vegetables for quite as long before adding them to the casserole in that case. In either case, do make sure you drain them really well before adding them to the baking dish. Frozen California mix (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) are also very delicious done this way.

DO I NEED TO USE CONDENSED SOUP?

Not at all. Feel free to make a simple white sauce to use in its place. Based on the following: 2 TBS flour, 2 TBS butter, 2 cups milk and some seasoning.

 

DO I NEED TO USE CREAM OF CELERY SOUP?

Not at all. You can substitute it with any other condensed cream of soup.  Mushroom or chicken both spring to mind and will work wonderfully as would condensed cheddar cheese soup.

DO I NEED TO USE CHEDDAR CHEESE?

You can use any type of cheese that has a great melting property. Gouda, or Swiss is also very good.

CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?

You can certainly throw it together ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. I would take it out half an hour prior to baking so that the dish has time to warm up a bit to prevent cracking in the heat of the oven. It also may take a bit longer to bake through until bubbly.

WILL THIS CASSEROLE FREEZE?

In all honesty I cannot say for sure as I have never frozen it. Leftovers will keep for several days in the refrigerator, covered tightly.

A FEW OTHER

VEGETABLE CASSEROLES

YOU MIGHT ENJOY

GREEN BEAN STUFFING CASSEROLE - A delicious mash of two favorite side dish casseroles. Green Bean Casserole and Stuffing!  Perfect for holiday occasions or anytime you are looking for something delicious and a little bit different to serve. With this you get the best of two delicious worlds. Green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce with stuffing and then topped with crispy onion! Everyone loves this!

POTATO, CHEESE & ONION PIE -I This is a very simple dish, but don't let its simplicity fool you into think that it is not delicious. I could eat a whole plate of this and nothing else. At basic it is a baked cheesy mash with a little onion, a cheesy topping, with some sliced tomato on top. This makes a great Vegetarian main for two or a scrumptious potato side for more!

  

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Yield: 6 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Cauliflower & Broccoli Casserole

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A tasty dish combining two favorite vegetables, in a creamy sauce, with a crisp and buttery cheese and cracker topping!

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of fresh cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into florets
• 1/2 head of fresh broccoli, trimmed and chopped into florets
• 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tin condensed cream of celery soup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (352g) grated cheddar cheese
• 12 buttery round crackers, crushed
• 3 TBS cold butter, thinly sliced to dot

Instructions

1. Place the cauliflower, broccoli and onion in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, drain well.
2. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a 2 QT (2 liter) shallow casserole dish really well, Tip the vegetables into the dish and spread out evenly.
3. Whisk the soup, undiluted, together with the cream and spoon this over top of the vegetables.
4. Grate your cheese and sprinkle it evenly over top of the soup.
5. Crumble the crackers over top of the cheese and dot with butter.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling and golden brown
7. Serve warm.

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