Broccoli Cheese Casserole

This Broccoli Cheese Casserole is one of the most nutritious vegetable side dish recipes. Broccoli is something of a superfood and research shows that this cruciferous vegetable has strong anticancer properties.

Very particular instructions are given on how to boil the broccoli. Take heed! It is very easy to overcook broccoli, rendering it limp, bitter and an unappealing color! However, well cooked broccoli stands on its own and can be served unadorned. Here, with its cheese sauce, it could be presented as a vegetarian main course alongside other simple vegetarian recipes.

You could also steam the broccoli.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Start by making the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour and stir for a minute until it has cooked. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming.
2. Allow the sauce to boil for a minute. Add the cheese, mustard and salt. Cook for another minute. Keep aside.
3. Bring water to the boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. You will need to judge how much water to use: if your broccoli has a long stem allow enough boiling water to come up to the base of the florets. Alternatively, allow enough water to come about a quarter of the way up the head of broccoli. Once the water is boiling rapidly, place the whole head of broccoli in the pot. Boil on a very high heat until the stem is tender, but the florets are still just crisp - about 5 minutes. Drain. Refresh under cold, running water.
4. Break the broccoli up into florets. Place in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the cheese sauce. Scatter over the breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° F / 180° C for about 10 minutes. It is ready when the breadcrumbs have toasted slightly and the cheese sauce has browned slightly. Alternatively, you could pop the Broccoli Cheese Casserole under the grill until the breadcrumbs and cheese have browned. Just watch that the broccoli or the breadcrumbs don't burn.

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