I once heard someone said “if your kids don’t like broccoli, serve it with cheese” And I couldn’t agree more to this statement I almost had this tattooed LOL. Just kidding. But I do totally agree, not just kids, I love broccoli even steamed broccoli, they are rich in fiber so it is good for us. But I would love broccoli a thousand times more when it covered in cheese.
So this recipe was born. I have leftover heavy cream from homemade ice cream the other day and didn’t want to waste it by letting it go off. So I made this with heavy cream instead of béchamel sauce (butter, flour, milk). The result is wonderful to me. It is slightly less thick to what I imagine casserole should be but this way this dish is classified as keto!
I also used cast iron skillet, because I do not own a casserole dish. I hope I still get to call this casserole even it wasn’t baked in a casserole dish. This way, I clean less dishes though, cause I cooked and baked it in the same cast iron skillet, win win situation. It is really important to let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving so the sauce have some time to thicken.
Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli florets
1 small onion -finely chopped
1 clove of garlic -minced
2 tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup cheddar cheese -grated
1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
Salt and pepper
Optional but recommended, combine together:
2 tbsp panko bread crumb
1 tbsp butter -melted
Parmesan cheese -grated
Instructions:
- In a large pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil and cook the broccoli florets for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large cast iron skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Cook the cream/sauce for about 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Turn the heat off then add half of the cheddar cheese, nutmeg powder, salt and pepper to the sauce, stir until the cheese is melted and well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add the cooked broccoli into the sauce, stir to combine. Top with the remaining cheese and panko bread crumb mix.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove from heat, let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
