🥦🧀 Creamy Cheesy Broccoli & Vegetable Casserole

The photo looks like a creamy broccoli bake loaded with colorful vegetables and cheese, with a thick herb-flecked sauce poured over the vegetables before baking. This version is designed to give you that creamy center, tender-crisp vegetables, bubbling cheese, and golden top. Homemade cheese sauces are a classic approach for broccoli casseroles.

Servings: 6–8
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 25–30 minutes
Oven: 375°F (190°C)

🛒 Ingredients

Vegetables

  • 6 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 1½ cups cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • ½ cup diced red bell pepper
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Creamy cheese sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne, optional

For the topping

  • ½ cup shredded cheddar
  • ¼ cup Parmesan
  • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the oven and baking dish

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

2. Prepare the broccoli

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the broccoli and cauliflower.

Blanch for approximately 2 minutes, just until the vegetables become bright green and slightly tender.

Immediately drain.

For best results, spread them on a clean towel and pat dry.

This step is important. Excess water can make the finished casserole watery. Recipes for broccoli casseroles commonly recommend cooking the broccoli until just tender and draining it well before baking.

3. Prepare the remaining vegetables

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add:

  • carrots
  • red onion
  • bell pepper

Cook for 3–4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

Don’t fully cook the vegetables—they will continue cooking in the oven.

Remove from the heat.

🧀 Make the Creamy Cheese Sauce

4. Make the roux

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the butter and let it melt.

Sprinkle in the flour.

Whisk continuously for about 1 minute.

The mixture should become a smooth paste.

5. Add the milk

Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly.

Add the heavy cream.

Continue whisking until the mixture becomes smooth.

Bring it to a gentle simmer.

Cook for approximately 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently.

The sauce should become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

6. Season the sauce

Stir in:

  • Dijon mustard
  • garlic powder
  • parsley
  • Italian seasoning
  • paprika
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • cayenne, if using

Taste the sauce.

It should taste slightly more seasoned than you think necessary because the vegetables will dilute the flavor.

7. Add the cheese

Reduce the heat to low.

Add:

  • 1½ cups cheddar
  • mozzarella
  • Parmesan
  • cream cheese

Stir until completely melted and smooth.

Don’t boil the sauce after adding the cheese. Excessive heat can cause the cheese to separate and become oily.

You should have a thick, creamy cheese sauce.

🥦 Assemble the Casserole

8. Layer the vegetables

Place the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers and onion into the prepared baking dish.

Add the halved cherry tomatoes.

Gently toss everything together.

Arrange some of the tomatoes and broccoli near the top so the finished casserole has the colorful appearance shown in the photo.

9. Pour over the creamy sauce

Pour the cheese sauce slowly over the vegetables.

Use a spatula to gently spread the sauce throughout the casserole.

You don’t have to completely submerge every vegetable—the sauce will bubble and spread as it bakes.

🧀 10. Add the cheesy topping

Mix together:

  • ½ cup cheddar
  • ¼ cup Parmesan
  • ½ cup panko
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter

Sprinkle evenly over the casserole.

Finish with chopped parsley.

🔥 11. Bake

Place the casserole uncovered in the preheated 375°F oven.

Bake for approximately 25–30 minutes.

It’s ready when:

  • the sauce is bubbling around the edges
  • the cheese is melted
  • the vegetables are tender
  • the top is golden brown

For a darker, more toasted top, switch the oven to broil for 1–2 minutes at the end.

Watch it closely—panko and cheese can brown very quickly.

⏰ 12. Rest Before Serving

Remove the casserole from the oven.

Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.

This allows the cheese sauce to thicken slightly so it clings to the vegetables instead of running all over the plate.

⭐ How to Get the Look in Your Photo

For a particularly colorful casserole, use:

  • 🥦 broccoli
  • 🥕 carrots
  • 🍅 red and yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 🫑 orange or red bell pepper
  • 🧅 red onion
  • 🥬 cauliflower

The orange/yellow vegetables and red tomatoes make the finished dish especially attractive.

For the creamy sauce, don’t skimp on the cheese. A combination of sharp cheddar + mozzarella + Parmesan gives you flavor, creaminess and a nicely browned top.