Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin is one of those deliciously flavorful cheesy vegetable casseroles that are the perfect side dish for any time of the year — combining Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and tons of creamy cheese sauce, all baked to perfection in one casserole dish.
Who doesn’t love comfort food at any time of the year? I love my salads, but I also want delicious comfort food occasionally. What I love about this recipe is if you don’t want to run your oven, you can easily accomplish making this recipe in a convection oven or large toaster oven too.
When I make my Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin, I like using fresh cauliflower and broccoli, and you can also save time. However, if you pick, use a leading brand of organic frozen veggies if you want to do this on a busy weeknight. Trust me, I’ve done it a few times in a pinch, and it was still perfect.
I roasted the veggies for the recipe this time rather than steaming them, and it really enhanced the flavor, but again, if you want a faster version, you can steam them and be done with it. Do what works for you and your family.
I always like for you to see what the food/recipe looks like when it’s done baking or cooking. I don’t use many professional, slick food tricks to make the methods look better when I photograph the images on my blog. You can rest assured this is pretty much what your casserole will look like when you are done baking it in the oven or convection oven.
I also want you to feel confident that any of the recipes I make you can easily accomplish, and it will always look close to what you see on the blog, not spiffed up with inedible items that make it impossible to replicate when you make it yourself. I know how frustrating that can be.
Have you ever gone on Pintrest.com and attempted to make a fabulous recipe, followed every direction to a T, used all the ingredients it called for, cooked it as stated, and turned out with an epic flop that tastes like a sheer disappointment? It’s a sad day at the dinner table when that happens.
Trust me; we have all been in that boat for a while. We can laugh or cry at the time, but eventually, we must move on to better recipe resources. I like to try my recipes out on our family and friends so that I can make any needed tweaks before posting them here for Y’all to make your loved ones.
Ingredients needed for Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin
-
Four tablespoons of unsalted butter + one tablespoon for baking dish
-
1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets
-
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
-
Four carrots sliced
-
One large onion, chopped
-
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-
Two cups of half-and-half cream
-
Two cups freshly shredded sharp white Cheddar, divided
-
Kosher Salt, to own taste
-
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
-
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, topping
Recipe Tips:
-
Use organic frozen veggies and skip part of the prep and cook time.
-
If you avoid using your oven in the heat, use a convection oven or large toaster oven to keep the house from overheating.
-
Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted for the parmesan cheese topping if desired.
Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter + 1 tablespoon to pretreat dish
- ½ head broccoli, cut into florets
- ½ head cauliflower, cut in florets
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half and half creamer
- 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- kosher salt to own taste
- freshly ground pepper to own taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese, for topping
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F°
- Pretreat a large baking dish with one tablespoon of butter and add the broccoli, cauliflower carrots, and onion. Roast until slightly golden browned, about 15 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, melt four tablespoons of butter, whisk in the flour and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off, whisk in the half-and-half, then turn the heat up to high and keep whisking to avoid the flour from clumping. Add the Cheddar cheese, kosher salt, pepper, nutmeg, and whisk until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and onion from the oven and pour the Cheddar cheese mixture over the top. Sprinkle evenly with the parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown on 400 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Serve after cooling the casserole for about 5 minutes on a heat-safe area
Notes
- Use quality organic frozen veggies and skip part of the prep and cook time.
- If your avoiding using your oven in the heat, use a convection oven or large toaster oven to keep the house from being overheated.
- Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted for the parmesan cheese topping if desired.
Although themccallumsshamrockpatch.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will themccallumsshamrockpatch.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information.
Nutrition
Remember to use the Pin it and Print options to save the recipe!
If you enjoyed this recipe for Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin here are a few other suggestions you might like
Pineapple Casserole is the iconic 1950’s Southern recipe with a sweet yet very savory flavor combination of sweet pineapple, cheese, butter, and Ritz crackers that every Southerner seems to love serving during holidays potlucks, and even funerals.
Hunt’s 7 – Layer Casserole– I adore Vintage Casseroles. What I don’t love are the Vintage cooking methods or ingredients sometimes due to them being over-processed or too fatty in calories. I have always liked the thought behind Hunt’s 7 – Layer Casserole. However, I wanted to make some much-needed modern changes to their recipe.
Easy to Make Pierogi Lasagna Rolls are for those of us that do not look forward to spending hours in the kitchen making Old Fashioned Polish Pierogies but enjoy the delicious taste of a homemade pierogi.
The recipe sounds wonderful, and I would like to make it and freeze part of it for later. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of freezing this dish?
Good morning! I have to be honest. We usually do not have any leftovers–but I can’t see the harm in freezing the leftovers. Thaw on the counter and place in the oven long enough to heat through when ready to eat.
Hi, this Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin is so good! I have a question what do you think about me thawing veggies and then roasting would that work? Thank you!
I think that would be ok, be careful not to overcook.
Hi – I’m planning to get some au gratin dishes to make something special for company, and I was looking for some good vegetarian recipes, and yours looks wonderful. I’m not sure what size dish to buy, though. The one you have pictured looks like the Le Creuset dish i’m planning to buy, but I don’t know what size to get. Could you please tell me what size au gratin dish you used – and what size to use if you double or triple the recipe? Thank you!
Good morning Debbie-
It’s really just an average size oblong casserole dish. I’m not home, so I can not measure it right now but will later if I get a chance. Honestly, I usually eyeball my casserole dishes and go from there. If you are doing double, I would recommend, if it is not a fancy affair, just getting the metal toss away pans they sell. I never trust my good casserole dishes out of the house. My neighbor jokes and calls me the container Nazi. This annoys me since she’s never returned a dish in her life. Lol!!
I made this dish precisely as it was written to accompany Christmas dinner. It paired wonderfully with the prime rib my son prepared. Everyone commented on its great flavor and texture. I topped it with a combination parmesan and panko crumbs which gave it a nice crunch, and looked identical to the one in your photo. Everyone had seconds and the serving dish was empty by meal’s end……..I guess that says it all. Thank You for sharing this recipe. I am looking forward to making it again.
That’s so awesome to hear, Steve! Happy New Year, and Thank you for sharing!!
This was so good! I’m doing keto, so I omitted the flour and reduced the onion and carrots, but I appreciate the nutmeg’s inclusion. It instantly elevated the dish. Thank you for providing directions for both fresh and frozen veggies.
Thank you, Allen! I’m glad it worked out for your Keto diet! Happy New Year, and thanks for sharing!
Delicious! I made this tonight only omitted the nutmeg because I was out , but most definitely a keeper!
Thank you, Amy!!!
Hi – could I substitute almond flour? On keto and but for the flour and carrots this would be amazing for that purpose. Thanks!
I didn’t use flour. Heavy cream will thicken in the oven.
Do the veggies get mushy? It seems like 25-30 mins cook time is plenty to cook the vegetables without having to pre-cook them?
Good afternoon Angie. The veggies do not if you are using (FRESH) if you are not then I would say they would. I hope that helps you have a great day. Thanks for dropping by.
I made this Cheddar Vegetable Au Gratin and it turned out perfect! Great instructions and tips. I will be saving this recipe to make again during the holidays.
Thank you, Ricky! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and instructions.
I made this and we loved it!
If I’m going to use frozen veggies, what quantity would I need to buy?
Thanks!
Hey there! Glad you loved the recipe. I would say two normal-sized bags should do it–don’t forget to skip the roasting part.