Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole {Cheesy Comfort Food}

This Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole is delicious, cheesy comfort food, super healthy and packed full of the good stuff. It's a regular here, requested often and always eaten. I make this with my white bean cheese sauce for an extra protein hit and while it's technically a 'side' dish, this is so good you'd be forgiven for eating it all alone and straight from the dish!

Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole

I can get the kids to eat Broccoli, but Cauliflower has often been one of those vegetables that's a bit tougher to turn into a star. I don't know why, it's a fairly inoffensive veggie, but it's always been a bit hit and miss with my kids. Until I made this casserole.

I tell you, this is such a requested veggie side that I sometimes say No. I know what you're thinking, why would you say No to the kids requesting this? Just because I'd be making it daily and as Mom and chief Cook in this house, sometimes I want to mix things up a bit! And when I do make it (it's a weekly thing at least) they're so happy with their plate of cheesy yumminess, they savour every bite and that makes me happy...because I know what I've hidden in the cheesy sauce :)

I use my white bean cheese sauce for two reasons. There's the usual time saving thing: It's stupidly quick and is ready in as long as it takes your cooker top to heat up, but also because the white beans add a serving of goodness that's undetectable to kids, all they taste is the cheese. You'd never know the sauce isn't a traditional cheese sauce and if I can sneak an extra serve of protein, among other things, into a dish, I see no reason not to.

I blanch the broccoli and cauliflower for a few minutes before transferring them to the oven dish. Put into a hot oven this takes 10-15 minutes or so to cook and sometimes that's not long enough to get the cauliflower tender and not crunchy. I don't fully cook it before it goes into the oven as I want the veggies to cook a little in the cheese sauce, and I find par boiling them works well.

Crunchy Casserole Crumb

Who doesn't love a crunchy topping on a casserole like this? I know we all do, and it's what sets this apart from a cauliflower cheese and seems to make it something more substantial. Getting the crumb topping really crispy and crunchy gives this a lovely contrasting texture: Beware, the topping gets fought over in a he's got more than me sort of thing. Which to be honest is something I never would have thought possible in the context of a vegetable dish. Who knew!

The topping is a simply mix of cheese and breadcrumbs. I use 2 slices of medium Wholemeal bread straight from the freezer. Always straight from the freezer, snapped into smaller pieces and put in the processor. I also add a few tablespoon of shredded Cheddar cheese to the blender, and then blend it all together.

Frozen bread will give you a much finer bread crumb and reduces the risk of the bread clumping when you're making breadcrumbs with cheese.

I scatter this crumb over the top of the casserole for the last 5 minute of cooking.

More Clean Eating Vegetable Sides

• Pan fried Brussel sprouts
• Honey glazed sliced carrots
• Clean eating charred corn
• Corn and zucchini fritters

How To Make Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Broccoli
• 1 Cup Cauliflower
• 1 Batch White bean cheese sauce Cheese sauce recipe (see post)
• 3 tbsp Cheddar cheese Shredded
• 2 Slices Wholemeal bread Frozen
• Olive oil Spray

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 190°
• Bring a pan of water to the boil
• Par boil your Broccoli and Cauliflower for 5 minutes in the water once it's boiling
• While the vegetables are boiling, make your bread crumbs. Add the bread and cheese to a processor and blend until you have a fine crumb. Set to one side
• Place your vegetables into an oven proof dish and pour your cheese sauce on top, making sure they're all covered. Cover the dish loosely in foil and place in the over for 12 minutes
• After 12 minutes, take the foil off and spread the crumb topping over the top. Using an oil spray, spray a fine mist of oil over the crumb and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the topping is golden, and crisp to the touch
• Serve immediately

Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

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