This simple broccoli casserole topped with crispy onions could challenge even the best green bean casserole at the Thanksgiving table, and definitely win.
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“I made this tonight and…YUM! The only change was to a larger dish (3 qt). The blend of flavors and textures was SO good! Thank you!” -Marty, FoodieCrush reader
This recipe is brought to you by Vermont Creamery.
This Creamy Broccoli Casserole Is a Crowd Pleaser Every Time
Broccoli is that vegetable that most everyone likes, and knows is good for them, but just hasn’t yet gained the it-girl/vegetable status that kale salads, roasted Brussels sprouts, or even mashed cauliflower are enjoying now.
No more! The time is now to don your hipster wide-brim wool fedora and jump ahead of the curve to make room for this amazing broccoli at the Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving table. Ah, who am I kidding? It’s tasty all season long.
This simple broccoli casserole dresses fresh or frozen broccoli in a simple-to-make, prep-ahead-if-you-like, butter and cheese homemade white béchamel sauce topped with crispy onions for a side dish everyone will love.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Either fresh or frozen broccoli may be used. Because they’re readily available any time of the year, I typically use fresh broccoli florets in this dish. But if you’re looking for the convenience of frozen, be sure to choose broccoli florets rather than the broccoli cuts which are usually more stalk than flower.
Create the smoothest sauce with cold milk. Make sure your milk is really cold to help eliminate any lumps in the roux. If you do find a few lumps, use a flat wooden spoon to smash the flour bits and incorporate as the cream cooks.
Use a non-stick skillet, if possible. I use a non-stick skillet for making the sauce so it doesn’t brown and stays silkily soft.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Broccoli — This broccoli au gratin casserole can be made with either fresh broccoli or frozen.
- Vermont Creamery cultured butter — The béchamel sauce (that’s French for a gravy made of butter, flour, and milk) starts with creamy cultured butter from Vermont Creamery. What sets their cultured butter apart from the rest is the process. Making cultured butter is like making fine wine, where fermenting the cream as you would grapes for wine — slowly — produces the best flavors. The longer the culture, the better, where after fermenting, wonderful notes of buttermilk and hazelnuts develop in the butter cream for a creamy, delicious flavor.
- Onion and garlic — My aromatics of choice for making the creamy sauce.
- Herbs and spices — A couple bay leaves, a pinch of nutmeg, and some kosher salt flavor the béchamel sauce.
- Half and half — I’ve also made this broccoli casserole with whole milk and it worked nicely.
- Parmesan cheese — Freshly grated is ideal, otherwise grab a container of the pre-grated stuff from the deli section of the supermarket. Avoid the powdered stuff in a green shaker can as it has a mealy texture and little to no flavor.
- Fried onions — A good substitute for the fried onions would be buttered Panko breadcrumbs.
How to Make Broccoli Casserole
- Cook the broccoli until tender. I prefer to cook mine in the microwave with ¼ cup of water in the bottom, but feel free to steam the florests in a steamer basket on the stove if you prefer.
- Make the roux. Chopped onion and garlic lend depth and flavor to the creamy butter before the flour is whisked in for body. Be sure to cook the flour for a few minutes to brown and cook out the raw flour taste.
- Finish the béchamel sauce. To create the creamy sauce, add cold whole milk or half and half to the butter and flour mixture. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and kosher salt last.
- Fold in the broccoli. For the best success, add the HOT broccoli to the HOT béchamel sauce in the skillet so the sauce doesn’t seize or clump.
- Bake until golden and bubbling. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a buttered 2-quart, shallow baking dish. A shallow baking dish ensures lots of surface area to broil and bubble and add those crispy onion bites, too.
Make-Ahead Instructions
To make this broccoli casserole ahead, prepare the recipe as directed but save the baking for later. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Bake straight from the freezer (do not thaw) at 375°F for 60 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Broccoli Casserole with Crispy Onions
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh broccoli* , cut into florets
- 6 tablespoons Vermont Creamery Unsalted Cultured Butter , divided
- ½ yellow onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups cold whole milk
- 6 ounces Parmesan cheese , grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Steam the broccoli until tender in the microwave with ¼ cup water for 5-7 minutes, or in a steamer basket on the stove for 12-15 minutes. Drain.
- While the broccoli is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of the cultured butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens and the garlic is fragrant, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the remaining cultured butter to the pan, melt, and sprinkle with the flour. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add the bay leaves and slowly add the cold milk while stirring, whisking away the floury lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, kosher salt to taste, and nutmeg, and keep warm.
- Fold in the cooked hot broccoli to the bubbly cheese sauce, tossing to coat. Transfer to a buttered 2-quart baking dish and top with the crispy fried onions. Bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the crispy onions are golden. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with Broccoli Casserole
- Roast Turkey Breast or Whole Roasted Turkey
- Homemade Meatloaf
- Pan-Seared Flank Steak
- Simplest Roast Chicken
- Stuffed Pork Chops
More Easy Side Dish Casseroles
- Classic Green Bean Casserole
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
- Zucchini Casserole
- Old-Fashioned Corn Casserole
- Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Cornbread Dressing
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This post was sponsored by Vermont Creamery. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Marty
I found you on Pinterest and wanted a side dish and decided to try this. We don’t have broccoli much (but I like it raw as a snack). I made this tonight and…YUM! The only change was to a larger dish (3 qt). The blend of flavors and textures was SO good! Thank you!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thank you so much Marty!
Jo
Can I use the Parmesan cheese in the green container or does this need to be freshly grated Parmesan cheese? I’m never quite sure which to use. Thanks.
Hi Jo, I would definitely use fresh Parmesan in EVERYTHING you cook! So much better, and it’s just as accessible as the canned. You can usually find the finely grated Parm in the deli section of your grocery store. Enjoy!