Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole – 🥦🧀👏🏻 This EASY casserole recipe transforms humble broccoli and cauliflower into a show-stopping side dish! A cream cheese and Parmesan cheese sauce coats every nook and cranny of the florets while buttery garlic bread crumbs on top create a lightly crunchy texture and lovely contrast! A great holiday side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or make it for weeknight dinners to incorporate more veggies into your life!
Easy Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
Let’s turn basic vegetables into a tasty and tempting casserole that’s perfect for holiday entertaining! Ready, set, go! It’s ready in 45 minutes and a cinch to prepare.
Made with frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets, this casserole is wonderfully creamy from a cream cheese and Parmesan cream sauce. The saltiness from the parmesan is tempered from the cream cheese sauce.
Buttery garlic flavored bread crumbs create a lightly crunchy crust which is such a nice contrast to the tender veggies and cream sauce.
This is an easy and tasty side dish for holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or make it as a way to get more veggies into your life for weeknight dinners. Even those who say they don’t like broccoli and cauliflower may change their mind after this perfect side dish!
Ingredients in Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole with Bread Crumb Topping
- Broccoli florets – use frozen florets that have been thawed and drained
- Cauliflower florets – use frozen florets that have been thawed and drained
- Melted unsalted butter
- Bread crumbs – I like garden and herb bread crumbs but you can use Italian breadcrumbs, seasoned breadcrumbs, or panko breadcrumbs
- All-purpose flour
- Milk – whole milk or 2% are what I recommend. Heavy cream may be too thick whereas 1% and skim are just too thin. I haven’t tried plant-based milk but cashew milk or oat milk may work.
- Parmesan cheese – use finely grated Parmesan (not from a can!)
- Cream cheese – use brick-style cream cheese sold in a block that’s full fat, no lite or fat-free cream cheese
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole with Frozen Vegetables
Here’s an overview of how you make this easy vegetable casserole recipe. Consult the recipe card for more complete details.
- Preheat your oven, spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray, drain the water from the thawed broccoli and cauliflower. Mix half the butter into the bread crumbs in a small bowl, stir to coat, and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter to a medium saucepan, add the flour, and whisk constantly for 1 minute to form a roux using medium to medium-high heat. Tip – This is what thickens the sauce so don’t shortcut this step! Then add the milk slowly and bring it to just under a boil.
- Stir in half the parmesan cheese and all the cream cheese into the milk mixture until fully melted and the sauce has thickened. Add the seasonings, salt, and pepper to the cream cheese mixture.
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower florets into the creamy cheese sauce, toss to combine and coat, and transfer or pour into your prepared baking dish.
- Evenly sprinkle the buttery bread crumb topping, remaining Parm, and bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes before serving!
what to serve with Cheesy broccoli Cauliflower casserole
Storage and Make-Ahead
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
In the Freezer: Technically, you can freeze just about anything. However when there are cream sauces involved like this recipe, I tend to not freeze it since it the freezing/thawing process can be tricky. Plus, the veggies will be mushier and the breadcrumb topping not crispy.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. But you can use your stove or oven, whatever is best suited for you.
Make-Ahead: Assemble the casserole to the point of getting it into the casserole dish, but before adding the breadcrumb topping and baking it off. At this point, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Set it on the counter for at least 30 minutes before you bake it. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top and bake as directed.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. However frozen veggies after they’re thawed have a softer, mushier texture making them perfect for casseroles like this one. If you’re using fresh veggies, you will need to boil them until they’re soft. Plus, you’ll have to trim whole heads of broccoli and cauliflower into florets. So theoretically you can use fresh, but it’s easier and it will save you time to just buy two bags of frozen veggies.
Yes, you should fully thaw both the broccoli and cauliflower florets, and then make sure to drain the water from them. You don’t want the excess moisture in your casserole because the final dish will be runny and soupy.
Place them into a large colander, and run very hot tap water over them for a few minutes, OR submerge them in a bowl of very hot water, OR add them to a large microwave-safe bowl and use the defrost setting and cook them, as needed, until they’re thawed.
However, it’s best to just plan ahead and set 2 bags of vegetables in your sink for a few hours while you go about your day until you’re ready to make this.
No, it’s not necessary if you’re using frozen veggies that are fully thawed and drained.
I’ve seen similar recipes made with other types of cheese ranging from sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, gruyere, and gouda – and they would all likely be just fine – it’s only 1/2 cup after all. However, I’ve only tried it with Parm.
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- 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
- 16 ounces frozen cauliflower florets, thawed and drained
- ½ cup garlic herb bread crumbs, (other bread crumbs such as plain, Italian seasoned, or panko may be substituted)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted melted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons all -purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, (whole or 2% recommended)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated; divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (use full fat cream cheese sold in a block; no lite or fat-free or whipped products)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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Preheat oven to 350F, spray the baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
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Make sure the broccoli and cauliflower florets are fully thawed (see the FAQs in the blog post for how to do this quickly if you didn’t plan ahead), and drain them well; set aside momentarily. Tip – You want to make sure that they’re fully thawed and drained well because if not, the excess moisture will cause your casserole to turn out soupy.
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To a small bowl, add the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and use a fork to toss, fluff, and combine to coat; set your breadcrumb topping mixture aside.
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To a medium to large saucepan (enough to later on fit all the frozen vegetables), add the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, all the flour, and over medium high heat, whisk the mixture continuously for 1 minute to create a roux. Tip – The roux is important so that later on, the cream sauce sets up and your casserole isn’t runny so don’t shortcut this step. Not to mention, you need the raw flour taste to be cooked off.
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Slowly add the milk to the roux, whisking constantly, and keep whisking to incorporate it. Keep control of the heat output of your stove, and bring the mixture just to the point of boiling, but not actually boiling, just simmering. Tip – You don’t want to boil milk because the structure of the dairy proteins changes, which isn’t ideal. So just keep it to a simmer, and not a full out boil.
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To the simmering mixture, add the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, all the cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and continue whisking until the cheese and cream cheese have melted and the mixture is silky smooth.
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Add the broccoli, cauliflower, and toss to combine and coat evenly with the cream sauce before transferring to the prepared baking dish.
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Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the top and bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden browned and lightly crispy. Tip – Since all ovens vary, start checking at about 25 minutes, and see how it looks. Also, rotate the pan once midway through baking to ensure even browning. Serve warm.
Make-Ahead: Assemble the casserole to the point of getting it into the casserole dish, but before adding the breadcrumb topping and baking it off (through step 7 above). At this point, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Set it on the counter for at least 30 minutes before you bake it – do NOT bake a cold casserole, it must come up to room temp. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top when it’s at room temp, and then bake as directed.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 439mg, Potassium: 451mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 833IU, Vitamin C: 78mg, Calcium: 183mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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