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 dish in town and this broccoli cheese recipe will seriously impress!
About this Broccoli Cheese
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 recipe is the way to go.
We love roasted broccoli, but this might just be our favourite way to eat it. Everything is better with cheese sauce, right? You can prepare it all in advance and then just put it in the oven when you are ready to cook it.
Kids love it too and it's easily doubled or tripled, so great for feeding a crowd.
A creamy side dish that is a must with a roast dinner. If you are looking for some more side dishes to try, then why not try our easy Garlic Spring Greens, simple Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli, impressive Hasselback Potatoes or our delicious Roasted Butternut Squash?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Broccoli - This is the star of the cheesy broccoli 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 - This is broccoli with a 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 cheesy broccoli, however you can leave it out if you prefer. We used Dijon, but you could swap it for English mustard of wholegrain.
Variations
We love any dish that is easy to adapt and this broccoli cheese bake 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 into 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.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese - Step by Step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5
- Step 1: Put the broccoli in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and put in a large baking dish.
- Step 2: 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. Take a look at our cheese sauce recipe.
- Step 3: Pour the cheese sauce on the broccoli and mix well. Put into the oven for 30 minutes.
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 into 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.
Serving Suggestions
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
Extra Tips
- You can use dijon, wholegrain or English mustard in the cheese sauce, or just leave it out.
- Make sure that the broccoli is all cut to the same size so that it cooks evenly.
- 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 into the Parmesan before sprinkling on top, to make it really crispy.
- Why not swap half the broccoli for cauliflower?
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Yes, you definitely can. Once it is fulled cooled, you can store it in a freezeable container in the fridge for up to 2 months. You can also freeze it uncooked, but it will take longer to cook rather than just reheating.
More Broccoli Recipes
If you’ve tried this broccoli cheese bake recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Broccoli Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 head Broccoli
- 500 ml (2 cups) Whole milk
- 4 tablespoon Plain flour - all purpose
- 50 g (0.25 cups) Butter
- 1 teaspoon English mustard
- 100 g (1 cups) Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5.
- Put florets from 2 head 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 500 ml Whole milk, 4 tablespoon Plain flour and 50 g Butter into 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 100 g Cheddar cheese and 1 teaspoon English mustard and whisk until the cheese has melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce on the broccoli and mix well. Put into the oven for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- You can use dijon, wholegrain or English mustard in the cheese sauce, or just leave it out.
- Make sure that the broccoli is all cut to the same size so that it cooks evenly.
- 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?
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Emily Liao says
This was such a delicious side dish! Perfectly cheesy and the kids loved it.
Tara says
Oh wow! That cheese sauce looks amazing. What an incredible side and I love that it can be made ahead of time.
Nart says
I love broccoli and I love cheese so this is definitely my kind of food! It's so moreish but like you said gotta control your portions.
Krissy Allori says
Heck yes! Such an easy recipe and the flavor is awesome.
saif says
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 says
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 says
I always forget to make broccoli in cheese sauce. It's always cauliflower. Looks fab!
Michelle says
We love broccoli cheese, it's such a great side dish for Sunday lunch.
Caitlyn Erhardt says
This went perfect with our baked chicken. My husband loves broccoli and cheese anything, so knew this would be a hit!
Caroline says
I haven't had this in so long, but this reminds me I should have it again soon. Looks great!
Toni says
This is so easy and delicious! The mustard makes all the difference. Yum.
Julia says
Delicious! I am so trying this with the crispy baked potato you mentioned :)
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
One of my favourite side dishes - this is so delicious! So much better than cauliflower cheese in my opinion!
Sophie says
I love broccoli cheese soup and can totally guess this is so tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
Jen says
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.