Do you have to cook broccoli before putting it in a casserole?

No! The best part is that you can throw frozen or fresh broccoli right into the creamy cheese sauce and then bake it all together in the oven! Broccoli cooks quite quickly so if you cook it before hand it will end up being overcooked once the casserole is baked.

Can I substitute fresh broccoli for frozen in a casserole?

Yes, you can! Frozen is convenient because you don't have to chop it up and you can keep it in the freezer until you're ready to use it. But fresh broccoli will work just as well in this recipe!

How do you thicken broccoli casserole?

This broccoli cheese casserole relies on a quick mixture of flour and butter to thicken the creamy sauce. The best part about this recipe is that the cheese sauce cooks before you bake everything together so you can control exactly how thick and creamy it gets!

Easy Baked Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Name: Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons butter; 32 oz. frozen broccoli florets; 1 small onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 4 tablespoons flour; 2 cups whole milk; 16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, divided; 2 cups crushed Ruffles potato chips; Kosher salt; fresh cracked pepper

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

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This quick and easy broccoli cheese casserole comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients including frozen broccoli and takes only 40 minutes from start to finish. Every nook and cranny of the tender-crisp broccoli is coated in the perfect simple cheese sauce, then topped with crispy potato chips for a salty crunch!

Author: Kylie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 10 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Stove Top + Oven
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

6 tablespoons butter
32 oz. frozen broccoli florets
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, divided
2 cups crushed Ruffles potato chips
Kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

Melt butter in a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat.
Add diced onion along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low if the butter is sputtering too much or if the onions start to turn brown.
Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
Add flour and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. The roux won’t be super thick at this point. The flour will continue to thicken the sauce as it cooks.
Slowly stir in whole milk along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the milk is warmed through a bit and just starts to simmer.
Add half the shredded cheese, reduce heat to low stirring until melted and the sauce begins to thicken.
Stir in frozen broccoli along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Cover with remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through.
If using this type of large sauté pan, you can put it straight into the oven. If you’re not using an oven safe pan, you can transfer the casserole to a 9×13 oven safe baking dish, top with cheese, and bake.
Top casserole with potato chips and bake for another 5 minutes.
Let cool just a few minutes and then dig in and enjoy!

Notes

You’re looking for a cheese sauce that’s similar to a creamy queso dip. It should coat the back of a spoon and cling to it. It shouldn’t be dripping off the spoon immediately – it should be thick and creamy.
If the cheese sauce isn’t getting creamy, warm it over low heat, stirring frequently, for a couple minutes until it thickens a bit more. But be sure that the sauce doesn’t come to a simmer because if it gets too warm, the cheese will separate from the sauce and you’ll end up with a grainy texture.
If the cheese sauce is too thick, trying adding a splash or two of milk to loosen it up.
Once the frozen broccoli comes in contact with the warm cheese sauce, it’s going to cause the cheese sauce to thicken and seize up a bit. This is normal. Just combine the broccoli with the cheese sauce very well so that each piece of broccoli is well coated. When the casserole bakes in the oven, the cheese sauce will loosen up and get perfectly creamy again.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/easy-baked-broccoli-cheese-casserole/