Creamy and easy to love, this healthy-ish broccoli casserole recipe is the retro-comfort side dish we want on our Thanksgiving table this year. Broccoli and cheddar cheese are a classic combo, and this easy casserole recipe celebrates that combo! Think about everything you love about Green Bean Casserole, but instead of sad, mushy green beans, you’ve got fresh broccoli florets blooming out of a creamy, cheesy, mushroom soup base. For more simple brassica sides, try our cozy Cauliflower Au Gratin, or our super simple Roasted Broccoli.
Easy Broccoli Casserole Ingredients
Fresh broccoli florets: We really prefer fresh broccoli for this recipe, because it’s not going to turn to mush the way frozen broccoli would. You’ll need about two heads of broccoli.
Cheddar cheese: We really recommend grating the cheddar yourself. You can use a box grater or your food processor’s grating attachment (our kids LOVE using it, it’s really pretty fun to shove bricks of cheese through the pulverizer). You can grate the cheese a few days ahead of time, if you’re prepping for Thanksgiving. Just grate it and store it in a zip-top bag in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Mushroom soup: Once in a while, the canned stuff is king. Thanksgiving is one of those moments!
Mayonnaise: This is no time for calorie-counting.
Dijon mustard: Sharp and creamy, this broccoli casserole recipe needs the zingy heat of Dijon mustard.
Onion and onion powder: Yet another source of some much needed sharpness. You really will need a way to grate things for this recipe, because you’ll grate both the cheese AND the onion.
Eggs: To hold it all together.
Panko breadcrumbs: A lot of broccoli casserole recipes out there achieve a crispy topping with crumbled cheese crackers. But we find that those actually turn kind of soggy when you bake the casserole and we wanted ours to have a truly crispy topping. For that, it’s gotta be panko! Crispy panko topping over a creamy casserole of broccoli and cheese is the perfect Thanksgiving bite.
How To Make Broccoli Casserole
Mix up the casserole base: Stir together some cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, mustard, grated onion, onion powder, and eggs.
Assemble the casserole: Grab your favorite 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or, if it’s Thanksgiving, whatever 9x13 baking dish isn’t full of something yet), and stir the broccoli florets and cheese into the mushroom soup mixture.
If you’re making the casserole the night before, stop here! Cover it and pop it in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to bake it:
Sprinkle the top with the panko and olive oil, plus more cheese.
Bake! Bake it covered for the first 15 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes so the top gets crisp.
How To Make It Ahead & Tips
To make the broccoli cheese casserole ahead of time: Assemble the casserole without the crispy panko topping, and store it (covered) in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. You could do this a full day ahead of time.
Leftover broccoli casserole will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you want to get wild, you could play around with the cheeses. We love sharp cheddar, but you could try this recipe with a mixture of Gruyére and cheddar, or all mild cheddar for a subtler flavor.
Broccoli Side Dish Ideas
Happy Side Dish-ing!
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