This broccoli cauliflower casserole is one of those side dishes that threatens to steal the spotlight from the main course. Its creamy sauce is the height of decadence! This is a from-scratch recipe that includes making a roux. Don’t be intimidated though, it’s actually easier than it sounds!
A lot of broccoli cauliflower casserole cream mushroom soup recipes use canned soup to make the cream base for this casserole, which is a great shortcut. However, this recipe’s sauce is simple to make from scratch, and the velvety rich texture and taste can’t be beaten!
Broccoli and cauliflower go together like peanut butter and jelly. This casserole coats each piece in a luscious sauce for delicious flavor in every bite.
Casseroles are the perfect side dish for just about any kind of meat. This one is always a family favorite, and the delicious sauce ensures that even those finicky eaters won’t fuss about eating their veggies!
If you love really delicious vegetable dishes that everyone will actually eat, I hope you’ll try my Southern Style green beans, Arkansas green beans, brown sugar glazed carrots, or my simple roasted peppers next!
What I Love About This Recipe
- The luscious cream sauce!
- Using frozen veggies saves chopping ♥
- A Delicious way to get your family to eat their veggies.
- The cheesy crunch from the topping!
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Ingredients
We use frozen broccoli and cauliflower in this cauliflower broccoli cheese casserole. You will also need garlic, onion, butter, and flour. The spices include salt, pepper, dried mustard, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Heavy cream, cheese, and breadcrumbs round out the list!
Can Fresh Vegetables Be Substituted?
Yes, absolutely. Just make sure you cut them into florets then steam them until they are al dente before proceeding with the recipe. Frozen vegetables Do Not need to be precooked, simply thawed and then well drained.
Recipe Notes For Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole:
- Low-carb option: A cauliflower and broccoli casserole is a great low-carb addition to the dinner table. Just leave off the breadcrumbs! Broccoli’s high fiber and antioxidants give you added health benefits on top of being low-carb!
- Reduced Fat Option: If you are looking for a healthy broccoli cauliflower casserole, this recipe is very easy to lighten up! Swap chicken broth for the heavy cream and use low-fat cheese to decrease the calories while preserving a similar homemade cream sauce flavor.
- Another way to make this broccoli casserole healthy would be to decrease some of the cheese on top and use half and half instead of cream.
- Ritz Cracker Variation: Making broccoli cauliflower casserole with Ritz crackers is a common variation on this recipe.
- We’ve gone with breadcrumbs, but if crackers are in the pantry, they work just as well! Just blitz them in the food processor or simply crush them in a resealable bag, air removed, with a rolling pin!).
How to Make Homemade Bread Crumbs
- Toast 3 slices of sourdough bread.
- Generously butter each slice of toast immediately after toasting, while it’s hot then allow to cool completely to room temperature.
- Tear into large pieces and process the cooled pieces of toast in a food processor.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Will This Keep? This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Follow the directions for this cauliflower broccoli casserolee as written until you get to the breadcrumbs. It’s best if you put them on just before you put it in the oven. Put the casserole in a freezer-safe/oven-safe pan and after it is completely cooled, wrap tightly with a layer or two of cling wrap. Then, add a layer of foil.
- A couple of things to note- when you mix the broccoli and cauliflower in the sauce, remove it from the heat immediately. You don’t want it to cook much before freezing, so the veggies don’t get mushy. Also, don’t rush the wrapping. If you wrap and freeze before it is completely cool, your sauce will separate, and the texture will be off!
- To reheat- remove the cling wrap and foil. Top with bread crumbs and cook as directed until heated through.
- Can You Make This Ahead Of Time? This cauliflower broccoli cheese casserole is a great make-ahead dish. You can make it the day before, just assemble as instructed but hold off on the breadcrumbs. Once it has cooled, cover it and put it in the fridge. When you’re ready, top with bread crumbs and bake according to directions (increase the baking time if it’s coming straight from the fridge).
Serving Recommendations
This yummy casserole is wonderful with Thanksgiving turkey, my crockpot pork tenderloin, million dollar chicken, smothered chicken, air fryer chicken, or traditional meatloaf. Actually, there’s really nothing that this side dish isn’t great with!
How Do You Make Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole?
You’ll begin by sauteing the garlic and onion in butter and mixing in the spices and flour to make the base for the roux. Add in the cream to complete the sauce. Stir in the veggies and transfer to the baking dish. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake!
- Add in flour, salt, pepper, paprika, dried mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to the sauteed aromatics.
- Whisk until smooth paste forms.
- Remove the skillet from heat and add the cream.
- Whisk until the cream is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.
- Add broccoli and cauliflower.
- Mix until evenly coated.
- Pour it into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle top with cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
***See the full instructions below.
More Broccoli To Love
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Roasted Broccoli
- Broccoli Salad
- Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Roasted Broccoli
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen broccoli, thawed and drained on paper towels
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen Cauliflower thawed and drained on paper towels
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups heavy cream
Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups dried coarse bread crumbs
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
- Melt butter (6 tablespoons) in a large skillet (large enough to later accommodate all the broccoli and cauliflower). Add onions (1/2 cup) and garlic (2 cloves) and cook until soft and tender.
- Add in flour (3 tablespoons), salt (2 teaspoons), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), paprika (1 1/2 teaspoons), dried mustard (3/4 teaspoon), and Worcestershire sauce (1 teaspoon). Whisk together until a smooth paste forms. Cook mixture over medium heat for 1 minute.
- Remove skillet from heat and whisk in cream (3 cups) whisking until mixture is smooth.
- Replace skillet to medium heat and bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Add broccoli (32 ounces) and cauliflower (16 ounces) and mix to evenly coat.
- Pour the vegetable and cream mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole evenly with cheese (2 cups) and then bread crumbs (1 1/2 cups).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the casserole is heated through to the center and the edges are bubbly.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Low-carb option: A cauliflower and broccoli casserole is a great low-carb addition to the dinner table. Just leave off the breadcrumbs! Broccoli’s high-fiber and antioxidants give you added health benefits on top of being low-carb!
- Reduced Fat Option: If you are looking for a healthy broccoli cauliflower casserole, this recipe is very easy to lighten up! Swap chicken broth for the heavy cream and use low-fat cheese to decrease the calories while preserving a similar homemade cream sauce flavor.
- Another way to make this broccoli casserole healthy would be to decrease some of the cheese on top and use half and half instead of cream.
- Ritz Cracker Variation: Making broccoli cauliflower casserole with Ritz crackers is a common variation on this recipe.
- We’ve gone with breadcrumbs, but if crackers are in the pantry, they work just as well! Just blitz them in the food processor or simply crush them in a resealable bag, air removed, with a rolling pin!).
What else can I use insteadmof cream?
Hey Rosemary. I’m not familiar with a good substitution for the cream in this. Sorry!!
Butter is a whopping 80% fat, so combined with whole milk, it works as a heavy cream substitute. Just melt 1/4 cup butter, then whisk in 3/4 cup whole milk until smooth. You can use it in place of 1 cup heavy cream.