Broccoli Cheese Casserole is an amazing holiday side dish. It’s so good you will want to make it year-round! With fresh broccoli, a delicious homemade cheddar cheese sauce, and topped with a buttery cracker crust.
This recipe is inspired by my aunt Karen’s broccoli casserole recipe. It is a dish I looked forward to eating on the holidays. I hadn’t had it in many years and was craving it. Thankfully she shared her recipe with me so I took her recipe and updated it. Many recipes years ago used Velveeta cheese or Cheese Whiz. I decided to update the recipe and make my own cheese sauce. I only made a couple of other small adjustments, but it tastes just how I remember!
Fresh broccoli, in a fluffy, cheesy mixture, topped with buttery crackers. An all-time favorite holiday side dish.
Growing up, on the years we would celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom’s side of the family there would be about 17-19 of us. We would gather at my Grandpa’s house and hook 3 or 4 tables together so we could all fit at one big table together. When the food was ready everyone would sit around the table. We would look around making sure everyone was there. My uncle Kent was always M.I.A. Kent is not a timely man and is always late for everything! He would be doing whatever it is that Kent does. We would all together yell his name for him to come to the table so we could all eat. The memories of sitting at the Thanksgiving table all together remind me of this cheesy broccoli casserole.
Check out more delicious holiday recipes by some of my other food blogger friends!
- Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole with Corn Flakes from The Simple Homeplace
- Slow Cooker Creamed Corn from Whiskful Cooking
- Dairy Free Eggnog from Dairy Free Ginger
- Chickpea Salad from The Whole Platter on Instagram
- Brie Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates from Church Street Homestead on Instagram
Ingredients in Broccoli Cheese Casserole
How to Make Broccoli Casserole
- Steam the broccoli. Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Place broccoli in a steamer basket. Cover and steam on high until broccoli is tender-crisp (10-15 minutes). Chop the broccoli into smaller pieces (if desired) or leave as is.
- Make the sauce. By stirring butter, flour, salt, and pepper together in a saucepan then add the milk and cheese. Stir and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Combine together. Stir in the broccoli and add the eggs once the heat is turned off. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
- Cracker crumb togging. Sprinkle crushed crackers over top of the broccoli then drizzle on the melted butter.
- Bake. Approximately 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the cheese mixture is bubbly.
Can Broccoli Casserole be Made Gluten-Free?
This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten-free flour and using gluten-free crackers.
Can I Make the Casserole Ahead?
You can make this casserole up to 3 days ahead to make life easier. Make the casserole but leave out the cracker crumb and butter topping. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Add the cracker and butter topping before baking. If baking cold you may need to add about 10 extra minutes to the baking time.
Can Frozen Broccoli be used?
You can use steam in the bag frozen broccoli instead of fresh broccoli. This will save some time. Make sure to drain all excess water from the broccoli before adding it to the cheese sauce. Frozen broccoli will change the texture slightly but still taste just as delicious!
Tips/Variations
- I recommend using either Ritz or Townhouse crackers. The crackers give it a nice crunchy, buttery top.
- Steam the broccoli to tender-crisp which means it is tender enough to poke with a fork, but not mushy.
Storage
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
Products used
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More Holiday Side Dishes
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Equipment
- 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 baking dish
- medium sauce pan
- steamer basket (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 large head (approx. 3 cups) broccoli cut off the stem and chopped, bite-sized
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper each
- ½ cup milk or half and half
- 3 eggs beaten
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup crackers (like Ritz or Townhouse) crushed
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven 325°FSpray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Steam the broccoli. Fill the saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Place chopped broccoli into a steamer basket. Cover and steam until tender-crisp (10-15 minutes). Drain. Chop broccoli into smaller pieces if desired, or leave as is.
- In the saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper then the milk until smooth. Add cheese and stir constantly until the cheese is melted and smooth. Turn off the heat. Stir in the broccoli and eggs.
- Pour mixture into the baking dish. Top with crushed crackers and melted butter.
- Bake 30 minutes or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly. Let cool slightly then serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
This is such a delicious side dish! One of my faves from when we lived in Nashville 🙂
I love this side dish Cindy, it was always my favorite as a kid!