Broccoli Cheese Bake

4.34 from 3 votes

Broccoli Cheese Bake with bechamel sauce, a comforting vegetarian side dish that goes well with any roast or meat substitute. It's creamy, cheesy, and rich, and makes a great alternative to the good old cauliflower cheese.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: International

Servings: people

Calories: 222kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

1 large broccoli head
25 g butter
1 cup full-fat milk
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon plain flour
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Break the broccoli head into florets.
Add the florets to a pan of salted water and boil for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is tender, but it still holds its shape well.
Drain the water well, and transfer the broccoli to an ovenproof dish.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan, add the flour, and whisk well to get a smooth paste.
Pour in the milk, and continue to mix until the sauce thickens.
Add the grated cheeses, dijon mustard and black pepper, and mix well.
Pour the sauce over the broccoli and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling hot.

Notes

The recipe can be tweaked to your own liking, and you can add bacon, ham, sausages, any leftover meat or meat alternatives to it to make it into a hearty casserole rather than a side dish.
Make sure any meat added is already cooked, as it won't have time to cook in the oven and it can lead to food poisoning, or just some rather grease bake.
You can also go for a combo broccoli and cauliflower, for a fantastic broccoli cauliflower cheese bake, the cooking process is exactly the same, you just add some cauliflower florets in the mix. Quick, easy peasy, and so delicious!

Nutrition