Simple Broccoli Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is broccoli casserole made of? ›

The ingredients? Broccoli of course, then bacon, flour, milk, cream, eggs, cheddar cheese, a little Dijon, salt, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. The tricks to this broccoli cheese casserole are to: Pre-cook the broccoli florets a bit so they cook up tender in the casserole.

Par Cook Pasta and Vegetables

"Partially cooking these ingredients is the only way to make a casserole with a satisfying texture," says LaClair. She stresses you should undercook rather than overcook them, as they will continue to cook in the oven—and will dry out quickly if already fully cooked.

Fresh vegetables contain less water

Frozen vegetables release moisture as they cook and when they're used in a casserole that moisture has nowhere to go but into your dish. If you want your casserole to have the best texture, it's best to use fresh vegetables.

To prevent a soggy top and a firm or crunchy bottom, it's important to use a shallow baking dish, to cook the casserole at the correct oven temperature and for the appropriate amount of time, and to be mindful of the amount of liquid used in the recipe.

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese. But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

Uncovering the foods promotes browning and crisping, and reduces the amount of liquid in the finished dish. If a casserole looks soupy when it's ready to bake, bake it uncovered unless the ingredients include pasta or rice, which absorb liquid.

To prevent a soupy casserole, be sure to fully thaw any frozen vegetables in a colander over a bowl, and pat dry, squeeze excess moisture out of greens like spinach or chard, and quickly precook watery fresh vegetables like onions, mushrooms or squashes just until they release their moisture.

Tip. Cooking broccoli before adding it to a casserole can cause it to become mushy and brown. And if you don't cook fresh broccoli for your casserole, it can come out undercooked in the final product. For best results, blanch fresh broccoli before adding it to casserole recipes.

Does frozen broccoli need to be cooked before adding to casserole? ›

add small onion saluted in butter- use a sweeter Mayo ( so it will add favor instead of grease), use frozen broccoli and don't cook it before hand.

The time a casserole takes to cook will vary from 2-2½ hours for chuck, blade and thick flank, up to 4 hours for shin, leg and neck. Pork cuts for braising and casseroling normally take 1½ hours, and lamb much the same.

Fresh herbs or citrus zest can also punch up flavors with a bit of welcome brightness for a long-cooked dish, as can adding some heat in the form of a dash of hot sauce, a generous pinch of minced or sliced fresh chili pepper, or a shake of red pepper flakes.

Casseroles should be baked in a moderately hot oven

But too hot, and it won't cook evenly without some parts of it scorching first, according to KitchenSeer. A great rule of thumb, the site states, is to bake a casserole above 300 degrees F and below 400 degrees F: 350 degrees F is a great sweet spot.

“A casserole dish and a baking dish are the same thing, an oven-safe piece of cookware, usually made of ceramic, porcelain, or glass,” says Anthony Contrino, Emmy-awarded culinary producer and food stylist. "They can come in various shapes, with the most common being rectangular, oval, or square.

Casseroles Are Largely Defined by Their Baking Dish

agrees, telling us that "a casserole is baked in a casserole dish—a deep baking dish. The word casserole comes from a French word meaning 'saucepan. '"

Not every single casserole has all of them, but as a rule of thumb, here's what to look for: a starch, a binding agent or sauce, and a protein or vegetable. Many casseroles also have both vegetables and proteins, as well as a crunchy element to give some textural contrast, and cheese.

Definition: Casserole is the name of the dish used to cook with, whereas hot dish is the meal itself. Ingredients: Casseroles can contain any ingredients under the sun practically, where hot dishes have set ingredients they have to have.