Broccoli Cheese Casserole

I’m sure a lot of people wonder how a turkey made by a vegetarian tastes. I can’t personally tell you from experience (I don’t usually taste the turkeys I make), but I’ve been told they taste delicious and moist. I’ve made a few turkeys now and tried different methods (brining, roasting, smothering in herb butter and stuffing it with lemons and onions). I haven’t quite decided what to do with the turkey this year, but my main goal when I cook a turkey is to make it look good. I want it golden brown and pretty. I don’t eat it, but I do look at it. And everyone eats with their eyes first, so you don’t want a pale turkey!

This was the last turkey I made-golden brown and covered in herbs!

I’ll be making a turkey for my family this year, but I’m more excited for the side dishes since that’s what will be on my plate! I mentioned in a previous post that every year my family has to have Broccoli Cheese Casserole on the menu for Thanksgiving. This side dish also makes an appearance on other holidays in my family, such as Easter, Christmas and even some birthdays. It’s a cheesy dish that my whole family loves. It is my Grandmas’s recipe and we’ve been enjoying it for years! It will definitely be on our table this Thanksgiving.

It’s simple to make and doesn’t take much preparation. Combine butter and flour in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, cottage cheese, and eggs. Mix it all together and then stir in the broccoli. Pour the mixture in a dish and cover it in a generous layer of shredded cheese. The original recipe calls for much less shredded cheese, but my sister and I like it cheesy, so we’ve been making it with more cheese ever since we took over some of the holiday cooking. There’s nothing wrong with a little extra cheese! It is Broccoli CHEESE casserole after all.

If the idea of baking cottage cheese sounds weird to you- get over it. You’ll be glad you did when you try a bite of this cheesy goodness. But seriously, if it sounds weird then you can substitute it for ricotta cheese or do half ricotta and half cottage cheese. I’ve made it with ricotta before and it alters the texture slightly, but still tastes great!

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, melted

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper, to taste

1 lb cottage cheese (can substitute with ricotta cheese if preferred)

3 eggs

2 12-ounce bags of frozen broccoli, thawed (or 24 ounces of fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces)

3/4 cup cheddar, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium-sized bowl combine melted butter and flour. Add salt, pepper, cottage cheese, and eggs. Stir to combine.

3. Mix in thawed broccoli. Pour mixture into casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top of the casserole.

4. Bake casserole for 1 hour. Enjoy!