Broccoli Cheese is a delicious and comforting make-ahead side dish that even the biggest vegetable dodgers will love. It's creamy and indulgent, and the best way to enjoy broccoli. Move over cauliflower cheese, there is a new cheesy vegetable side in town!
We are always looking for new ways to enjoy vegetables, and smothering them in a homemade cheese sauce is definitely the way to go. If you love cauliflower cheese, but are looking for something a little different then broccoli cheese is the way to go. A creamy side dish that is a must with a roast dinner.
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Why should you try it?
- The best way to enjoy broccoli
- Creamy and comforting
- Can be made in advance
- A inexpensive side dish
- Kids love it
- Great for feeding a crowd
What you will need
- Broccoli - this is the star of the dish. You could use frozen and then defrosted broccoli, but we always like to use fresh. You could even do half and half with cauliflower.
- Cheese sauce - You could use a store bought cheese sauce, but it is so easy to make your own with butter, flour, milk and cheese. We added cheddar, however you could add a mixture of cheese that melts well.
- Mustard - this adds a really nice flavour to the cheese sauce, however you can leave it out if your prefer. We used dijon, but you could swap it for English mustard of wholegrain.
Step by step
One: Put the broccoli in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and put in a large baking dish.
Two: Make the cheese sauce by putting the milk, flour and butter in a sauce pan on a gentle heat. Whisk as the butter melts and the sauce starts to thicken. This will take 3-4 minutes. Add the cheese and mustard and whisk until melted.
Three: Pour the cheese sauce on the broccoli and mix well. Put in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for 30 minutes.
Health benefits of broccoli
Superfood is a bit of a buzz food that is thrown around, but there is no denying that broccoli is nutrient dense. It's a great source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and K, as well as iron, zinc and fibre, which can support digestive health.
Did you know that broccoli is also a good source of protein, although an incomplete one.
Cheese sauce
This cheese sauce is SO easy to make. Like, so easy to make that you will be wondering why you have ever bought it. It is just butter, flour and milk whisked together until thickened and then melt some cheese in to it. You can then add a little mustard to give it some extra flavour.
Once you have the recipe for the perfect cheese sauce, it has so many uses. You can use it to make an epic macaroni cheese.
How to adapt it
We love any dish that is easy to adapt and this is definitely one of them. If you can't decide between broccoli cheese and cauliflower cheese, then why not combine them! If can also make it an all-rounder side dish by par-boiling some diced potatoes and mixing it in to the cheese sauce with the broccoli.
Want to make it more indulgent? Then some cooked chopped bacon is the way to go.
We used a mature cheddar, however you can use parmesan, mozzarella or gruyere too. It needs to be a strong flavour cheese, unless you want the broccoli to be the main flavour.
What to serve it with
This is a must with any roast dinner. However, we also love it on a crispy baked potato, or you can stir it through some cooked spaghetti. If you are having it with a roast dinner though, here are our favourite roast dinner recipes:
- Perfect Roast Chicken
- Garlic and Parsley Roasted Carrots
- Vegetable Mash
- Slow Cooker Roast Beef
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Mustard and Honey Roasted Parsnips
- The BEST Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
- Easy Cauliflower Cheese
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
FAQs
There are lots of health benefits of broccoli, as mentioned above. However, we have then covered it in a fairly calorific cheese sauce. It's homemade, so we have controlled exactly what has gone in it and know that there are no hidden nasties. However, it is high in calories and fat, so make sure you exercise portion control.
You will know if it is too thin once you have made the cheese sauce, and that is the point where you want to thicken it. Add a little bit more flour, a little at a time and whisk it well until you have the desired thickness.
Yes, this is a great side dish to make in advance, making it perfect for Christmas Day when you have enough to be getting on with. Cook the broccoli and then mix it with the cheese sauce in a baking dish. Then, allow to cool fully and cover it in cling film and then put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Then you can remove it from the fridge and put it in the oven. It may take a little while longer to cook as it has come out of the fridge.
Once it is fully cooled, you can transfer it to air tight containers and then it will store in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the oven or microwave.
Extra tips
- You can use dijon, wholegrain or English mustard in the cheese sauce, or just leave it out.
- Add a crispy topping to this side, by sprinkling it with parmesan before putting it in the oven.
- You could even mix some panko breadcrumbs in to the Parmesan before sprinkling on top, to make it really crispy.
- Why not swap half the broccoli for cauliflower?
More broccoli recipes
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Recipe
Broccoli Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 head broccoli
- 500 ml whole milk
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 50 g butter
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 100 g cheddar
Instructions
- Put the broccoli in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and put in a large baking dish.
- Make the cheese sauce by putting the milk, flour and butter in a sauce pan on a gentle heat. Whisk as the butter melts and the sauce starts to thicken. This will take 3-4 minutes. Add the cheese and mustard and whisk until melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce on the broccoli and mix well. Put in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for 30 minutes.
Notes
- You can use dijon, wholegrain or English mustard in the cheese sauce, or just leave it out.
- Add a crispy topping to this side, by sprinkling it with Parmesan before putting it in the oven.
- You could even mix some panko breadcrumbs in to the parmesan before sprinkling on top, to make it really crispy.
- Why not swap half the broccoli for cauliflower?
Emily Liao
This was such a delicious side dish! Perfectly cheesy and the kids loved it.
Tara
Oh wow! That cheese sauce looks amazing. What an incredible side and I love that it can be made ahead of time.
Nart
I love broccoli and I love cheese so this is definitely my kind of food! It's so addictive but like you said gotta control your portions.
Krissy Allori
Heck yes! Such an easy recipe and the flavor is awesome.
saif
I may not be fan of broccoli, but I love when you mix with the cheese. It is delicious and perfect side dish for my roasted chicken.
Kechi
We love creamy broccoli recipes here. So I think this is a must-try for my family and I. Such a satisfying recipe; thanks for sharing!
Jacqueline Meldrum
I always forget to make broccoli in cheese sauce. It's always cauliflower. Looks fab!
Michelle
We love broccoli cheese, it's such a great side dish for Sunday lunch.
Caitlyn Erhardt
This went perfect with our baked chicken. My husband loves broccoli and cheese anything, so knew this would be a hit!
Caroline
I haven't had this in so long, but this reminds me I should have it again soon. Looks great!
Toni
This is so easy and delicious! The mustard makes all the difference. Yum.
Julia
Delicious! I am so trying this with the crispy baked potato you mentioned :)
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
One of my favourite side dishes - this is so delicious! So much better than cauliflower cheese in my opinion!
Sophie
I love broccoli cheese soup and can totally guess this is so tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
Jen
This is the easiest way to get your kids to eat their veggies without any nagging or bribing. Love the idea of sprinkling on panko too. Going to try that for next time.