Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Bake
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Today I’m sharing another great holiday side dish recipe. Since Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up I want to be prepared with as many side dish recipes to choose from as possible. I always seem to be able to pull potato or pasta dishes out but I usually have trouble when it comes to vegetable side dishes.
One of my all time favorite vegetable side dishes is broccoli and cheese. I’m not talking about anything fancy, simply steamed broccoli with a piece of American cheese on top. My mom used to make it as a side dish when I was a kid and I still like it as a side dish now.
Of course it isn’t really a holiday side dish but I wanted to turn it into one. To start with I added cauliflower to the broccoli. I mean, cauliflower is broccoli’s more sophisticated cousin so I thought that would help to make it more holiday worthy.
Instead of a piece of American cheese I used a combination of Velveeta and cheddar cheese along with some milk to make a nice cheese sauce. Then I topped it all off with a well seasoned breadcrumb mixture. It didn’t take long to prepare and this dish would be easy to make a day ahead of time and put in the refrigerator.
The broccoli and cauliflower turned out well. They were cooked but still slightly firm. The cheese had melted into a creamy cheese sauce. The breadcrumb mixture on top just added a nice flavor and texture to the dish. It really was a grown up version of my favorite side dish and I’ll be proud to serve it during the holidays.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb. broccoli cut into florets
- 1 lb. cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 1/2 c. Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- salt and black pepper
- 3/4 c. Velveeta cheese cut into pieces
- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 c. milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Place the broccoli and cauliflower in the baking dish.
- In a medium bowl combine the panko, melted butter, oregano, paprika, and cayenne. Mix well and set aside.
- Sprinkle the broccoli and cauliflower with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Velveeta cheese pieces evenly over top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Carefully pour the milk over top of the broccoli and cauliflower. Mix well with a spoon.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the broccoli and cauliflower.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
This looks very good and since we like the “heat,” it will be a special hit!
I ve heard of cauliflower mashed potatoes..but cauliflower rice looks to be brilliant! And with cheese yes please!
My family would love this for Thanksgiving this year. Broccoli, cauliflower and cheese is a winner!
Bill loved when I roasted cauliflower and broccoli together last week. I have a feeling your cheesy casserole would be a hit, too!
It was really tasty and anything is better with cheese!