This Broccoli Cheese Casserole is a cheesy, delicious side dish! Made from scratch with a decadent creamy sauce and buttery crunchy top, this fresh, family favorite recipe is the BEST! Perfect for holidays and family suppers!
So simple to prepare, my Broccoli Cheese Casserole is made from scratch and is an updated version of that old favorite from my childhood that included cans of cream soup. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I wanted to remake the recipe to make it fresher and even more delicious! I made my own creamy, cheesy sauce for my Broccoli Cheese Casserole and have never looked back. The result is a fresh, creamy, cheesy and decadent side dish with a buttery, crunchy topping that is the BEST Broccoli Cheese Casserole I’ve ever tasted!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
I think once you try this made from scratch recipe for this iconic casserole, it will become your favorite version too.
This Broccoli Cheese Casserole works well as a side dish for so many delicious menus. From Thanksgiving, Christmas, family reunions, to Sunday suppers, this casserole is one of those comforting dishes everyone loves.
Make for a Crowd or Small Family
And while this makes a large dish with enough for 12 servings, you can easily divide some of the uncooked dish and freeze some of it for later.
For example, it’s perfect to make for Thanksgiving if cooking for a smaller group and save some of the dish to cook for Christmas.
Or if you want to make for a family supper for a small family, you can divide it up and freeze some for later.
I’ve included those instructions and tips to follow.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Casserole
To make this casserole, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Heads of Broccoli
- Butter
- All-purpose Flour
- Whole Milk or Heavy Cream
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper or White Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Cheddar Cheese
- Buttery Crackers
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the fresh broccoli florets to a large heavy-bottomed stockpot of boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the cooked broccoli from the water and set aside.
Then melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour until it’s well-combined. Then whisk in milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce simmers slightly around the edges and has thickened slightly. Then stir in the sour cream.
Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish. Then pour the cream sauce over the broccoli. Next, top with cheddar cheese and crushed buttery crackers.
Bake uncovered until bubbling for 35 to 40 minutes. Then serve warm and enjoy!
This is great served with Turkey Breast, Roasted Turkey or Baked Chicken Breasts and more!
Make Ahead Broccoli Casserole
This recipe easily fills a 13×9 casserole dish for company or a large family meal. But if you’d like to make it on a smaller scale for serving fewer people, I recommend dividing it into two smaller casserole dishes and freezing one while preparing the other. In other words, just half it so that you have one to enjoy now and one to enjoy later.
Or you can make the entire recipe ahead to save time later.
In addition to freezing the dish, you can prepare the casserole without baking up to one week in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is a great make ahead time saver I love to do for large gatherings and holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
Either way you decide to make ahead or freeze it for later, just wait to top the dish with cheddar cheese and crushed buttery crackers. Add these two items when ready to bake. This helps to make sure that amazing cheesy and crunchy buttery topping perfect even if you made ahead.
How to Freeze
To freeze some of the casserole, I recommend dividing the uncooked casserole into freezer safe container(s), making sure it’s wrapped well or has an airtight cover. It can store for up to 3 months in the freezer. Hold the cheese and cracker topping and wait to add until just right before you plan to bake it.
To serve, thaw in refrigerator in overnight the day before you plan to serve it, add the cheese and cracker topping and bake as directed. Serve this delicious casserole warm and enjoy!
Other Favorite Casseroles and Side Dishes
Here’s my Broccoli Cheese Casserole recipe. I think you’ll love it.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 2 cups crushed buttery crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 13 x 9 – inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add broccoli florets to a large heavy-bottomed stockpot of boiling water. Cook for 3-5 minutes and then drain broccoli from the water. Set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour until well-combined, then whisk in milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to whisk until sauce simmers slightly around the edges and has thickened slightly. Stir in sour cream.
- Arrange broccoli in casserole dish and then pour cream sauce over broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese and crushed crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
This recipe is fantastic! Yes, it is not for the calorie conscious, but for special occasions it is great. I differed slightly from the recipe by using ground chipotle chile in place of the cayenne as I like the flavor better, and I also used french fried onions on top instead of the bread crumbs. My mother-in-law asked for the leftovers! Highly recommend.
Jennifer, don’t you just love it when your mother-in-law likes a dish you make? I haven’t tried this with the ground chipotle chile.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight and we all loved it! The only change that I made was to pre-cook the broccoli in the microwave. We can’t wait to have this again. Thank you!
Thanks, Paula. I love to hear that someone loves a recipe so much they want to make it again.
This is now my go-to recipe when I want a crowd-pleasing vegetable and am not worried about calories. The combination of sour cream and cheese is so much better than a standard cheese sauce. I like my broccoli with a little bite so I only cook for 2 minutes, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I’ve made it at least 5 times in the past year. Most recently, I forgot I was out of buttery crackers so I used panko bread crumbs tossed with a little melted butter. Just as good.
Thanks, Diane. My family likes this casserole better with the sour cream and cheese, too. I’m so glad you like it.
Can I prepare a head of time & bake say about 2 days
Teresa, you can prepare the casserole without baking up to one week in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just wait to top the dish with cheddar cheese and crushed buttery crackers. Add these two items when ready to bake. You can also freeze this casserole if making farther ahead. Make the casserole up to the point of adding the cheese and cracker topping. Wrap the casserole tightly or place in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months.
To serve, thaw in refrigerator overnight the day before you plan to serve it, add the cheese and cracker topping, and bake as directed. I hope you enjoy!
Can I use frozen broccoli florets?
You can use frozen broccoli florets in this casserole. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is fantastic! The only tweek I made was I pre bake broccoli on a baking sheet mixed with the dry spices for 15 min then proceeded with the directions! This recipe is a keeper thank you so much 😊.
I’m so glad you like this recipe, Glo mama.
Mom and I love this recipe!! I did add fresh bella mushrooms on top of the broccoli. it turned out absolutely delicious!! I even made an extra one for my coworkers to have tomorrow.
I know they will Love It!!
Thanks, Geni! I hope your coworkers love it as much as you and your mom did. Sounds great with the mushrooms.