Broccoli Cheese Casserole: Old Lady Recipe #4

Broccoli Cheese Casserole Recipe Video – scroll down for recipe

I know this is something that these days one can only find at Luby’s Cafeteria, but it’s still really yummy. Trust me, old ladies know what they’re doing when it comes to vegetables, casseroles, and topping things with crackers.

Plus this is like I’m giving you TWO recipes in ONE because we’re gonna make a Mornay sauce first. And Mornay is French for Cheezy Sauce and who doesn’t love cheezy sauce? Oh right. People with lactose intolerance.

Well, perhaps people were heartier back in the old days when this casserole first hit the strip. After all, it was back in the days when a big glass of cold milk was served with every meal. And every meal was also followed by a big glass of Scotch on the rocks. Maybe with milk in that, too. I don’t know how those people’s minds worked.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole Recipe

Recipe: Easy Broccoli Cheese Casserole – from scratch

Print Recipe

★★★★

4 from 2 reviews

Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound broccoli
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
Grating of fresh nutmeg
1/4 cup grated cheese
6–8 crackers
1 teaspoon butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F
Rinse the broccoli and cut into florets, approximately 1″ cubes. Peel the stalks and cut them into pieces as well. Put broccoli in a casserole dish with 1 tablespoon water and cover with a glass lid or a plate. Microwave 3 minutes or until just tender.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the flour. Stir and cook 45 seconds until smooth and beginning to smell toasty.
Add half the milk and stir briskly to combine. Add the rest of the milk and seasonings.
Add the cheese and stir to melt. Congratulations! You just made a Mornay sauce!
Drain the broccoli and mix with the sauce.
Put it all in a casserole.
Top with broken crackers and a few dabs of butter.
Bake at 425 F 15-20 minutes until browned and bubbling.

Notes

Variations:
Any kind of cheese can be used, although American or Cheddar are most often found in cafeterias and family reunion potlucks. Blue cheese would be a nice change, perhaps with some crumbled bacon added on top.

Click here for an updated recipe and video demo of Broccoli Casserole

15 Comments

rana on March 10, 2012 at 11:20 am

verey good the food

★★★

Reply
- Hilah on March 10, 2012 at 3:11 pm
  
  Thank you, Rana!
  
  Reply
Adam on March 10, 2012 at 11:32 am

This is awesome. I love your “old lady” recipes. My inner grandma wants to make you an afghan.

Reply
- Hilah on March 10, 2012 at 3:10 pm
  
  Thanks, Adam! Glad you like the “old lady” series.
  
  Reply
  - Sri Ramkrishna on March 10, 2012 at 11:27 pm
    
    I’d add a little tabasco.
    
    Reply
    - Sri Ramkrishna on March 10, 2012 at 11:28 pm
      
      oops, I replied to the wrong message…
      
      Reply
Great Stone Face on March 10, 2012 at 1:22 pm

Looks delicious. I can smell it’s awesome aroma in my mind. To make it mine, I’d add paprika.

★★★★★

Reply
- Hilah on March 10, 2012 at 3:09 pm
  
  That’s what it’s missing! 🙂
  
  Reply
  - Sri Ramkrishna on March 10, 2012 at 11:29 pm
    
    I’d add tabasco myself.
    
    Alternatively, you could roast the broccoli separately and then combine them. It’ll add a little more of a smoky flavor to the whole thing. Hell, I like eating it plain it is so good.
    
    Reply
    - Hilah on March 11, 2012 at 1:19 pm
      
      Oh, yeah. Tabasco! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! Roasted broccoli with cream sauce sounds so good – deconstructed broccoli cheese casserole. Mmm…
      
      Reply
Jarrett Huxley on March 10, 2012 at 9:31 pm

My grandmother would add a ton of shortening, mayonnaise, and even her secret ingredient of staling an entire bag of Wise sour cream potato chips (she said staling it made for a better casserole, lol). I’m surprised we didn’t die on Thanksgiving from heart attacks. Broccoli Cheese Casserole in all of it’s glorious different recipes makes me happy.

Reply
- Hilah on March 11, 2012 at 1:21 pm
  
  Thanks, Jarrett! Potato chips sounds like an awesome topping for this! Especially the sour cream flavor. And you’re right – you can’t really go wrong with broccoli cheese casserole in any form.
  
  Reply
Sri Ramkrishna on March 10, 2012 at 11:23 pm

Dude.. if that scotch is any good (e.g. single malt) I hope you’ll never insult that scotch by adding ice to it) Scotch should always be served neat! It’s like adding water to juice. Juice doesn’t taste good watered down 😛

Reply
- Hilah on March 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm
  
  Ha! I don’t know much about scotch except I don’t like it very much. 😉
  
  Reply
  - Sri Ramkrishna on March 11, 2012 at 2:12 pm
    
    It’s definitely a bit of an acquired taste..
    
    It’s kind of like beer, I tried it at age 15-16, and thought “bleah, who drinks this stuff” and didn’t touch it till 20-21. Granted I drank “Old Style” which was probably was part of the problem. 🙂 Eventually you get a taste of it, and can taste and smell the variations of the Scotch. I didn’t start liking hard alcohol until I turned 38 or so.
    
    Reply