Cheesy Garlic Broccoli Casserole is an easy, hearty side dish made with parmesan, cheddar cheese, minced garlic, toasted breadcrumbs, and tender broccoli.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole is the perfect Side Dish Recipe to serve with any of your favorite weeknight meals. Creamy, cheesy sauce and tender-crisp broccoli go great with pretty much any classic main dish. The Cheesy Broccoli Bake is similar to our classic Broccoli Casserole, but with added garlicky flavor and a delicious breadcrumb topping that takes it to a new level.
CHEESY GARLIC BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Broccoli Cheese Casserole is great if you’re serving a bigger group than usual because the creamy dish will help make the dinner a lot more filling. If you don’t have quite enough dinner for everyone, the hearty casserole will make up the difference.
Cheesy Garlic Broccoli Casserole is also wonderfully versatile. You can toss it together for a casual weeknight, or add it to your holiday table. Even if you make a simple main dish like Baked Chicken Thighs or Easy Meatloaf, this Garlic Cheese Casserole makes it seem like an extra special dinner.
You should definitely try this Broccoli Cheese Casserole if you’re trying to get your family eating more veggies. By just adding a few simple ingredients to the broccoli, you’ll have your whole family asking for second helpings of green veggies. Coating the broccoli in grated parmesan cheese and cheddar sauce makes it gooey, melty, and delicious. The creamy cheese sauce will make a vegetable lover out of even the pickiest eaters.
MORE CASSEROLE DISHES
Taco Casserole
Doritos Chicken Casserole
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Leftover Turkey Casserole
TIPS FOR MAKING CHEESY GARLIC BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
- Prep: To start the recipe off, preheat your oven and spray the casserole dish with cooking spray. If you don’t have a nonstick spray, brush melted butter over the dish. The key is to have some kind of coating so the broccoli doesn’t bake and get stuck to the dish. You should also chop your broccoli into florets if it’s not already in small enough pieces.
- Sauce: Add 4 tablespoons of butter to your saucepan and turn the heat on to melt it. As soon as the butter melts, stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Mix the ingredients together and cook until it’s bubbly and the flour isn’t raw. It should only take about 1 minute. Pour the milk in slowly and whisk as you go until the mixture is smooth. Cook and stir the milk until it’s thick and bubbly. Then you can mix in the garlic, cheddar cheese, and parmesan. Continue stirring until the cheese melts into the sauce. Add in the broccoli pieces and mix until the sauce coats all the florets. Transfer broccoli and sauce to the casserole dish. Use your mixing spoon to spread it out evenly across the dish.
- Breadcrumbs: Put another saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining butter and the bread crumbs. Stir until the melted butter coats the lightly toasted breadcrumbs.
- Bake: Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes. You want the cheese sauce to be nice and bubbly before you take it out of the oven.
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VARIATIONS ON CHEESY GARLIC BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
- Main dish: To make this casserole into a more filling main dish recipe, try adding some cooked rice or cooked quinoa. You can also add protein with cooked chicken. If you have any leftover baked chicken, just cut it into pieces to mix in with the broccoli.
- Add-ins: For some more add-ins try chopping up onion, zucchini, or cauliflower to cook along with the broccoli. You can also add slivered almonds in with the breadcrumb topping for some extra flavor and crunch.
- Breadcrumbs: Instead of panko bread crumbs, you can break any regular kind of bread into pieces and leave it out overnight to dry out. You can also crumble crackers over the top of your casserole in place of breadcrumbs.
- Seasoning: For extra flavor try adding oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, or onion powder.
- Cheese: There’s nothing wrong with a little extra cheese! Swiss, gouda, Pepper Jack, Munster, provolone, or Mozzarella Cheese would all make lovely additions to the casserole.
MORE SIDE DISHES
Green Bean Casserole
German Cabbage
Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
Mushroom Risotto
HOW TO STORE CHEESY GARLIC BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
- Serve: Don’t leave Garlic Broccoli Cheese Casserole at room temperature for more than 2 hours after baking.
- Store: Let the recipe cool to room temperature, then you can cover it to store in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Cheesy Garlic Broccoli Casserole will also stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cover it tightly in tin foil or seal it in an airtight container. Let the casserole thaw in the fridge before reheating it in the oven.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with vegetable oil spray (or brush with melted butter).
- In a large saucepan on medium heat and add 4 tablespoons butter until just melted.
- Stir in the flour, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, until bubbly and flour is no longer raw.
- Slowly add in milk while whisking constantly until smooth.
- Let cook until bubbly and thick, then add in garlic, cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese, stirring well until completely melted.
- Stir in the broccoli and coat well.
- Pour mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.
- In a small saucepan on medium-high add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the panko bread crumbs.
- Stir well until panko is well coated.
- Sprinkle panko over the broccoli and bake for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
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Can I use frozen broccoli ?
I’m late in responding to your question. If you use frozen broccoli, it will have to be thoroughly thawed and drained of excess water. It will not taste as fresh as when using fresh brococoli; however, in a pinch I think it’s doable. If you try it, please let us know how it turned out!