Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese
No roast dinner is complete without a Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese bake. This is the easiest, cheesiest & most darn right delicious side dish you'll ever make! Serves 6 small portions as a roast dinner or 4 as a side to a main.
Servings: 6
Cost: £1.50 / $2
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Baking Tray
- Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Whisk
- Jug (for milk)
- Cheese Grater
- 7" x 7" Baking Dish (or similar size)
Ingredients
- 250g / 9oz large bite sized pieces of Broccoli (approx 1x 14oz/400g whole head of broccoli)
- 450g / 1lb large bite sized pieces of Cauliflower (from approx 1x 2lb/1kg whole head of cauliflower)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp / 45g tbsp Butter
- 1 clove of Garlic, finely diced
- 3 tbsp Plain Flour (35g/1.2oz)
- 500ml / 2 cups Milk, at room temp (gently warm in microwave if needed)
- 150g / 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, grated (save 1/3 for topping)
- 100g / 1 cup Gruyere, grated (see notes)
- 1 heaped tsp Dijon Mustard
- few pinches of Ground Nutmeg
- Fresh Chives, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Add the broccoli and cauliflower to a large baking tray and combine with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 18-20mins, or until lightly charred and slightly softened (will cook properly when baked).
- Melt the butter in a suitably sized pan over medium heat then add garlic. Fry for a minute (careful it doesn't burn), then stir in the flour to form a roux. Gradually pour in the milk, continually whisking as you go to avoid lumps forming.
- Bring to a gentle bubble then cut the heat and stir in the gruyere and cheddar (remember to save 1/3 for topping). Once melted, stir in the mustard, nutmeg and salt & pepper to taste. Stir in the roasted broccoli/cauliflower.
- Pour into the baking dish, sprinkle over the rest of the cheddar and pop in the oven at the same temp for 20 mins or until golden/lightly charred and bubbly all around the edges. Allow to rest for a few mins to reform shape and cool down, then sprinkle with finely chopped chives and serve up!
Video
Notes
a) Broccoli/Cauliflower - You're looking to get 1/2 broccoli and 1/2 cauliflower. It won't make a huge difference if there's slightly more of one than the other.
b) Gruyere - I highly recommend using this for its gorgeous nutty flavour. If you can't find it, just sub more cheddar.
c) Make ahead - You can make this ahead of time, just go up until combining everything in the dish (make sure broccoli/cauliflower cools first) then cool, cover and pop in the fridge until needed. Then grate extra cheese and pop it in the oven. I find if it's prepped ahead you run the risk of the cauliflower/broccoli coming out quite soft because it tends to cook a little as it rests, so just bear that in mind.
d) Chives - Try not to think of these as just garnish, they actually add a gorgeous pop of flavour at the end!
e) Consistency - When it's fresh out of the oven it'll be fairly saucy, but as it rests it does start to thicken.
f) Serving Size - Gives 6 modest portions (great for a small side on a loaded roast dinner plate) or 4 bigger portions (better as a side to a main).
g) Calories - Based sharing between 6 people:
Nutrition
Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.24g | Protein: 17.09g | Fat: 22.18g | Saturated Fat: 11.88g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.194g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.108g | Trans Fat: 0.404g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 5.06g | Vitamin A: 3350IU | Vitamin C: 25.6mg | Calcium: 520mg | Iron: 1.3mg