Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin

Broccoli cauliflower gratin on small white plate with fork.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin

This broccoli and cauliflower au gratin is cheesy vegetable perfection. It's easy enough for a weeknight, but delicious enough for the holidays and it's always gobbled up.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 204kcal

Author Karly Campbell

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 shredded

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 9x13 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 about 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. The mixture will be thick and lumpy, but trust the process.
Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture, whisking constantly. The mixture will smooth out as you stir. Cook, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until mixture reaches the consistency of a thin gravy. Timing will depend a bit on how high your heat is.
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. Keep a close watch as they'll go from golden to burnt very quickly.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Notes

I highly recommend using fresh broccoli and cauliflower versus frozen. They just roast so much better. I buy the bag of already chopped florets to keep life easy. Frozen will work in a pinch, but the texture will be a bit softer.

Havarti is a super mellow, creamy cheese. You'll usually find it in the 'fancy' cheese section of the store, but it's not usually terribly expense. You can swap for sharp cheddar, swiss, Gruyere, or even monterey jack. The flavors will change depending on the cheese you choose, but all will be tasty.

A reader has commented that she's made this with Brussels sprouts as well and that it turned out great. Might be fun to experiment with other veggies!

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