Broccoli au Gratin is a delicious and easy way to mix up your veggie side dish at dinner. Fresh broccoli florets are topped with a luxurious cream sauce, nutty gruyere cheese, and parmesan. No steaming, boiling, or roasting is required! It's all baked to perfection with a crisp golden brown breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients
1.25poundsheads of broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets (approximately 6 cups)
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the broccoli florets in an 8x8 skillet and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons olive oil and bread crumbs.
In a large stockpot or sautee pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, adding a pinch of salt to begin layering in the flavor. Add garlic and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the flour and spices. Continue to stir for 1-2 minutes to ensure the flour does not burn.
Whisk in the vegetable broth until combined, scraping the bottom of the pan as needed. Once combined, whisk in warm milk. Add any remaining salt as needed. Bring cream sauce to a simmer and continue to lightly simmer for 4-5 minutes, being careful it doesn't boil. Remove from heat.
Stir in half of the gruyere (2 ounces) and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. You may need to work in batches until melted and smoothed into sauce.
Pour the cream sauce over the broccoli and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Top with the prepared breadcrumbs.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the sauce bubbly; check the broccoli to make sure it’s tender, too. If needed, turn on the broiler to crisp up the breadcrumbs if the broccoli is already tender.
Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through. Enjoy!
Notes
Gluten-Free: use gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs.
Cook time will take longer if you use larger broccoli florets.
Frozen Broccoli: thaw, and be sure to pat very dry before using.