I think that oooey goooey cheesy casseroles are GREAT on major holidays, even if they aren't the healthiest thing at the table!
This is a great kinda-cooking-kinda-not dish because you use some pre-made soup BUT you still make your own cheese sauce - the flavors go great together and everyone will love this!
Here's what you need for 10-12 servings:
- 5 cups broccoli (2 medium heads)
- 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cup milk or half and half
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 can EACH cream of mushroom and chicken soups
- 1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- bread crumbs or panko crumbs, for topping
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- salt and pepper
First, bring a big pot of water to a boil with a lot of salt in it, and cut the broccoli into small pieces.
When the water is boiling, drop the broccoli in the pot for 2 minutes until it's BRIGHT green and drain it. Then gather up your sauce ingredients!
So, the deal with the soup here is that I had some extra of both from another recipe, and really liked the way the flavors went together. If I had to choose just one can of soup I'd use chicken or cream of celery, but the two together was nice!
While the broccoli cools, start the milk sauce. Combine the butter and flour in a pan with a whisk and let cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
Butter and flour, yum! That's a roux, and it thickens the sauce. When the butter and flour are combined, whisk in the milk, then add the worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and mustard. Let this mixture come to a bubble for about a minute.
Then add the soups.
Nice! Now, stir in all but one cup of the cheese until it's melted and combined and perfect. Add more milk if the sauce seems too thick! Taste the cheese sauce and add more of any seasoning you like.
Yep, that's delicious. Now, in large pot or bowl combine all the sauce with all the broccoli, then dump it into a big casserole dish.
Top the casserole with the rest of the cheese and a layer of bread crumbs, panko, or crushed crackers, and you're all done!
Now, you can cover this and leave it in the fridge for 3 days or so and heat it up whenever you're ready to serve it! Cover it with foil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, then let it keep cooking uncovered until the top is brown and bubbly.
This is, like, really good you guys. I promise. You could leave out the soups and add more milk and cheese to the sauce, but I think they gave the sauce a nice thickness - play around with the recipe, though!
If you eat this for breakfast the day after Christmas, no one will judge you. Enjoy this one!
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