Easy Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

This make-ahead broccoli and cauliflower casserole has delicious creamy cheddar leek sauce and crunchy panko breadcrumb topping. It can be prepared a day ahead or you can make it and serve it right away.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Casserole

• Cauliflower: You will need an entire head of cauliflower. Look for a medium sized head free from brown spots. Remove any leaves, and cut the core out before cutting into florets.
• Broccoli: You will need two large broccoli crowns (about 1 pound.)
• Olive Oil: To make this lower in saturated fat, we used olive oil instead of butter. The oil is used to saute the leeks, and it helps to make the breading on top brown and crisp nicely.
• Leek: The leek adds delicious flavor to the cheddar sauce. You only need the white and pale green parts, so you can chop off the green parts. Use them to make chicken stock. Follow instructions for how to clean a leek here.
• Salt: Note that we recommend table salt for this recipe. You may use kosher salt instead, but you will want to double it.
• Flour: To thicken the sauce, we used all-purpose flour. For gluten-free alternatives, we suggest using a cornstarch slurry instead of trying to use gluten-free flours. See more gluten-free tips below in our FAQs section.
• Milk: You can use regular milk or lactose-free milk. To keep this lower in calories, we used fat-free (skim) milk, but any type of milk will work.
• Cheddar: For the cheddar sauce, look for the sharpest available cheddar. That will give the sauce the strongest cheese flavor with only 1 1/2 cups.
• White Pepper: Creamy sauces are great with the flavor of white pepper. Black pepper can be substituted if unavailable.
• Panko: For crunchy golden topping, use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular fine breadcrumbs. IF you can find it, use whole-wheat for a tiny bit of additional fiber.
• Paprika and Garlic Powder: To season the breadcrumb mixture and give it color, use a combination of garlic powder and paprika.

Step-By-Step Directions To Make This Recipe

• STEP 1: Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil for blanching the vegetables. Set up a bowl of ice water.
• Step 2: Blanch cauliflower 3 minutes in boiling water. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or small strainer and transfer immediately to the ice bath to stop it from cooking. Repeat with the broccoli, cooking for 3 minutes, and shocking in the ice bath. Drain the vegetables very well. Reserve bowl for mixing in step 7.

• Step 3: Prepare cheese sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often until the leek is soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Step 4: Sprinkle the flour over the leek and stir to coat and the flour is evenly moistened.

• Step 5: Add milk and bring to a simmer, over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until bubbling and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
• Step 6: Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in cheese and pepper until the cheese is completely melted into the sauce.

• Step 7: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray. Mix the vegetables and cheese sauce together in the reserved bowl.
• Step 8: Transfer the veggie mixture to the prepared baking dish.

• Step 9: Stir panko, the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, paprika and garlic powder in a small dish until evenly moist. Top the broccoli and cauliflower mixture with the panko mixture.
• Step 10: Bake until the casserole is hot all the way through, the sauce is bubbling and the vegetables are tender, 28 to 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

FAQs, Tips and Tricks For This Recipe

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