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This broccoli and cauliflower gratin is cheesy vegetable perfection. It’s easy enough for a weeknight, but delicious enough for the holidays and it’s always gobbled up.
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I am a total sucker for roasted vegetables and I bet most of you are too!
So, rather than steam the cauliflower and broccoli in this gratin recipe, I popped it in the oven to roast. And THEN! (this is the part where it gets really good) I made this utterly heavenly cheese sauce.
I am a fan of creamy dreamy Havarti cheese. I normally just slice it up and serve with crackers, but it is divine when melted into a cheese sauce. Like, out of this world good and it pairs so well with the nutty flavors of roasted broccoli and cauliflower.
This one is easy to make, but it’s fancy enough for a holiday dinner and I love that!
Ingredient Notes:
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Broccoli & Cauliflower – You’ll start with some fresh, raw broccoli & cauliflower. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen, but I do always recommend fresh.
Cheese Sauce – We’re going to make this super creamy cheese sauce using some grated Havarti cheese, milk, garlic, butter, flour and seasonings!
Panko – This adds a bit of crunch to the top.
What is Panko?
Panko is a Japanese bread crumb that is light, airy, and crispy. It can be found in most any grocery store. We highly recommend using Panko over traditional bread crumbs in any breading recipe where you want a crispy finished product.
What We Love About This Recipe!
Roasted veggies are already delicious, thanks to those nutty flavors. But adding a gourmet (but simple!) cheese sauce to the vegetables really takes things over the top! I love that this is pretty easy to throw together, my whole family likes it, and it’s a bit different than your usual veggies and cheese sauce.
How to Make Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin:
Roast the Veggies: Roasting brings out flavor and completely changes the flavor of broccoli and cauliflower. Add the broccoli & cauliflower to a buttered baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Pop that in the oven and let it bake for about twenty minutes, stirring once halfway through so that both sides of the veggies can get good and roasted.
Cheese Sauce: The creamy Havarti cheese sauce is the star of this recipe! You’ll start by melting some butter in a sauce pan with some garlic, letting it cook about a minute or so while stirring constantly.
Whisk in the flour and some more salt and pepper and then start slowly adding in the milk, whisking constantly. Let the milk, butter, and flour mixture cook for about five minutes or until it reaches the consistency of a thin gravy.
Finally, remove the sauce pan from the heat and whisk in the grated Havarti cheese, letting it melt from the heat while constantly stirring until it forms a smooth, creamy cheese sauce!
Helpful Tip!
If you are using a different cheese than Havarti, just follow all the same steps for making the cheese sauce and substitute the Havarti with your preferred grated cheese. Cheddar is a classic, but feel free to get creative!
Toppings: When you’ve finished the first bake of the veggies and the cheese sauce is ready, go ahead and start evenly pouring all that creamy sauce over the top of the roasted broccoli & cauliflower! Finally, sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs over the cheese sauce. One more step…
Bake & Broil: When you’ve finished topping the veggies with the cheese sauce and Panko, it’s time to do one last bake in the oven. Place the dish back in for another ten minutes and then finally we’ll finish it off in the broiler!
Watch closely so it does not burn. When it’s a nice golden brown on top you can go ahead and serve this gratin dish while it’s still good and hot!
FAQs:
Fresh is best, but frozen vegetables will likely work. We haven’t tested it ourselves, but give it a try if you like.
Nope, you can use any cheese you like! We love Havarti because it’s so rich and creamy, but cheddar is also a good choice.
MORE EASY CHEESY RECIPES!
- Cheesy Taco Spaghetti
- Cheesy Broccoli Rice with Ham
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
- Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 pound cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the cheese sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 6 ounces havarti grated
For the topping
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
To roast the vegetables
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with one tablespoon of butter.
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the buttered dish and drizzle with the oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Start the cheese sauce when the vegetables have 8 minutes left to bake.
To make the cheese sauce
- To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan.
- Add the garlic to the melted butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until mixture reaches the consistency of a thin gravy.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
To bake
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and stir. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the vegetables.
- Combine the Panko and melted butter and sprinkle over the dish.
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
- Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the bread crumbs are browned, about 2 minutes, if desired.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Gillian says
Was delicious. Turned out perfect. I highly recommend this recipe.
Karly says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gillian! 🙂
Andrea says
Absolutely delicious! Of course I had no harvati cheese so I used sharp cheddar. The vegetables were tender crisp and the sauce was beautifully creamy. Will make again and absolutely on holidays. Thanks fro making the craziness of this pandemic a little more bearable ??
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Andrea!
Sue Massie says
Can I make this ahead of serving it?
Karly says
You could, but it will taste better freshly made. We think broccoli and cauliflower are both better when they’re fresh, but if that doesn’t bother you then go ahead. 🙂
L says
This was delicious! Used brussel sprouts instead of broccoli and can imagine using all sorts of other veggies with it too.
Shannon says
Looks delicious! Can you use frozen vegetables or would fresh work better?
Thanks in advance!
Karly says
I’m not a fan of frozen vegetables, so I’ve only tried this with fresh.
Avis POOR says
What is Roth 6oz.?
Karly says
It’s 6 ounces of Roth Havarti. 🙂
April says
I still prefer broccoli doused in a generous helping of melted cheese! Growing up it was literally a bowl of broccoli with a side of melted cheese that was passed at our family table 🙂 I love this gratin! Somehow it elevates the whole cheese and broccoli thing – not surprised everyone gobbled it up!
Rosemary says
This is exactly my kind of dish, anything gratin and I couldn’t be happier. Looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try it.
Kalyan Panja says
I am one big fan of broccoli. This one looks a mouthwatering recipe to prepare.
Lauren @ Free Your Fork says
This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t even imagine how great this is going to be over some pasta, you’ll have to let us know how that goes (and if you need any taste-testers, I’m your girl!)
-Lauren-
Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
This looks and sounds incredible, I know what I’ll be making with my head of cauliflower in the fridge tonight!
Karly says
I hope you love it!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
All that cheesy goodness with two of my favorite veggies. Great recipe Karly and so pretty too!
Eva @ Eva Bakes says
Amazingly, my 7 year old daughter LOVES cauliflower. She also likes cooked broccoli, so this sounds like a perfect dish for her. Yay veggies!!
Jen Sharpin | So Damn Delish says
You had me at roasted veggies but then really got me with the Havarti cheese sauce. I’m totally going to have to make this. P.S. I would totally marry the cheese sauce and have its babies too! 😉
Karly says
No shame in marrying a cheese sauce. 🙂