Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole is a cheesy one-pan dish with a creative, crunchy crouton topping. It's easy to make any night of the week. You'll notice it may be made with canned or from-scratch cream of mushroom soup, because store-bought still provides plenty of flavor and creaminess to the casserole.
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Side Dish
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes total (5 min prep + 45-60 min bake)
- 🍴 Servings: 10-12 servings
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Creamy, cheesy, savory with a buttery, crunchy topping
- 🍚 Best Served With: Roast chicken, steak, or holiday meals
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, can be assembled ahead and baked later
Summarize and Save This Content On
This cheesy broccoli and cauliflower casserole is one of my favorite ways to turn vegetables into comfort food. I use cottage cheese and light mayo instead of regular mayo to cut some fat while adding extra protein and creaminess. It's always a hit, and even people who usually don't enjoy vegetables go back for seconds.
If you're looking for more dishes where broccoli or cauliflower is the star, I recommend this easy broccoli salad and air-fried bang bang cauliflower.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's very flexible: This recipe is super easy to make your own. There are several easy swaps you can make to change up the flavor and texture, but still end up with a tasty dish.
- It's made to feed a crowd: I make this broccoli cauliflower casserole in a 9x13 casserole dish, so it has plenty of servings to feed a lot of people. It's perfect for a potluck or even as a holiday side for a party.
- It has a unique crunchy topping: For this casserole, I use croutons as the topping instead of breadcrumbs. It adds a slightly different texture, but it works great in contrast with the creaminess and tender vegetables.
Ingredients
Below are the essential ingredients that make this broccoli cauliflower casserole recipe successful.
- Broccoli and cauliflower: You may add the broccoli and cauliflower straight into the casserole, no precooking required! I like to use fresh vegetables for this recipe when possible, so ensure both vegetables are firm, dry, and free of brown spots.
- Cream of mushroom soup: I typically use canned cream of mushroom soup, and it tastes just as good as this homemade cream of mushroom soup. If you like extra creaminess, add a second can to the broccoli cauliflower casserole. Cream of chicken or celery also works well.
- Cheddar cheese: If you want a pronounced cheesy flavor, sharp cheddar is the way to go. I also recommend shredding the cheese yourself, if possible, because it melts better. The amount for this recipe is 1-2 cups, so you can decide just how cheesy you want it to be.
- Cottage Cheese & Light Mayo: Most classic recipes call for mayonnaise, but I tried it with half cottage cheese and half light mayo, and it worked so well. This gives you a similar flavor but with added protein and less fat. If you prefer, you can use a ½ cup of regular mayo, sour cream, or Greek yogurt instead.
- Croutons: Use any flavor crouton that you prefer for the topping. It adds more crunch than breadcrumbs, which goes well with the broccoli and cauliflower.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Gluten-free: Swap the croutons for a gluten-free topping like gluten-free breadcrumbs or crushed crackers.
- Add cooked chicken: Stir 1 cup of shredded chicken into the broccoli and cauliflower mixture for added protein, turning this into a more balanced meal. Leftovers from another recipe, like cast-iron chicken breast are perfect.
- Change the broccoli and cauliflower ratio: If you prefer one vegetable over the other, you can switch it up (like 2 cups of cauliflower and 6 cups of broccoli to make it more broccoli-forward).
How to Make Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
Before you get started on this broccoli, cauliflower, and cheese casserole, preheat your oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 1: Prepare the filling. Mix the egg, soup, cottage cheese, light mayo, and cheese in a large bowl. Add the broccoli and cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, and then add the cheese mixture. Stir until it's all well combined and coated.
Step 2: Transfer to the baking dish. Spread the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 3: Make and sprinkle the topping. Now you can combine the croutons and melted butter, and then sprinkle the crust on top.
Step 4: Bake and serve. Pop it in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the top is golden brown. Enjoy a serving of this casserole with these lemon pepper pork chops.
Expert Tips
- Check doneness with a fork: One of the biggest doneness cues is fork-tender vegetables. If you stab a fork into them and it slides in easily, they are fully cooked. Even when the topping is brown, it's important to check the veggies, too.
- Assemble it ahead of time: Combine all the ingredients for this cauliflower broccoli cauliflower casserole and transfer them to the baking dish. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking, then add the crispy topping just before placing it in the oven. Add 10-15 minutes to the oven time since it is cooking from the fridge.
- Lightly cook the veggies to shorten baking: if you want to shorten the baking time, you may blanch the broccoli and cauliflower for 2-3 minutes and pat them dry. Just be careful not to cook them too long to avoid overcooking when baking it in the oven.
- Storing the leftovers: Place any leftovers of this broccoli and cauliflower casserole into an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating this casserole: You may reheat large portions in a foil-covered casserole dish for 10-15 minutes at 325°F. If you're reheating an individual portion, you can heat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Other creamy vegetable casserole recipes you should try is this Brussels sprouts casserole and chicken broccoli casserole.
Serving Suggestions
- Protein pairings: If you want to serve this casserole as a side dish for dinner, you can make broiled shrimp skewers or air-fried rotisserie chicken as the protein.
- Lighter side options: To serve this as the main course, try a garden salad or simple mixed greens with a chardonnay vinaigrette.
- Holidays and special occasions: This broccoli and cauliflower cheese casserole would make a great addition to any holiday table. Serve it alongside classics like poor man's prime rib.
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Recipe FAQs
Overcooking will make your casserole mushy. Cook the broccoli and cauliflower until they're fork-tender, with a slight bite so they're not hard. Set a timer and check the casserole at 45 minutes to help prevent overcooking.
Yes, you can use frozen broccoli and cauliflower in this recipe. Thaw them first and pat them dry to help prevent the casserole from becoming soggy. Frozen vegetables will likely cook up softer than using fresh.
Of course! Cover the casserole tightly with foil and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower chopped
- 4 cups broccoli chopped (about 1 head)
- 1-2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- ¼ cup cottage cheese You can also use mayo, Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
- ¼ cup light mayo You can also use mayo, Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 5 oz. flavored croutons crushed
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl add cheddar cheese, soup, cottage cheese, light mayo and eggs; beat well.
- In a large bowl add broccoli and cauliflower, then pour egg mixture and evenly combine.
- Transfer to the prepared pan then make topping by add crushed croutons and melted butter. Spread evenly over the vegetables and bake until cauliflower is cooked through, about 45-60 minutes (if the top if getting too golden you can cover lightly with foil).
- Cool lightly then eat warm.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the casserole. Cook the broccoli and cauliflower just until fork-tender so they keep a slight bite without being hard. Set a timer and check it at 45 minutes to avoid overcooking.
- You can use frozen broccoli and cauliflower in this recipe. Thaw them completely and pat them dry before adding them to the dish to prevent excess moisture and sogginess.
- Fork-tender vegetables are one of the best signs that the casserole is done. If a fork slides in easily, they have fully cooked. Even if the topping looks nicely browned, always check the vegetables as well.
Leave a Reply