Roasted Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Roasted Broccoli with cheese sauce is a great easy and quick recipe idea for you who need a low-carbo side dish. Tender broccoli roast with creamy cheese sauce is a delish and simple veggie supper. Enjoy the burst of tasty protein!

It was a sunny morning when I woke up, the sun was coming in through the bedroom window. Apparently I woke up late, I looked at the clock on the wall in my house showing 10.30 a.m. Why am I able to wake up at this time of the day? Huh, maybe because I was tired yesterday.

Tired of making 50 dessert boxes yourself in a day

Yes, yesterday I took care of a lot of dessert box orders. This is my friend who made a sudden order for his birthday the next day. She wanted me to make a chocolate cake for her and for her to share with guests at her birthday party on many days. I couldn’t refuse because he asked me personally. Hu Hu

I made almost 30 dessert boxes and 1 large chocolate cake. Because I made it myself (that day my brothers weren’t there to help), it made me really tired. I made it from 10.00 a.m to 20.00 p.m. After that, I take a shower and sleep. When my sister came home, she said I slept like a baby undisturbed by anything.

Falling crumb one must be content with crust, broccoli is alright than never

Maybe that’s the reason why I woke up late today. Apart from waking up late, what’s even worse is that yesterday I didn’t eat anything other than my breakfast. It made when I woke up today, my stomach was really rumbling. This stomach feels so hungry.

I looked at the fridge for anything I could eat or maybe leftovers. I remember there were still nuggets or sausages left for me to eat with homemade cheese sauce. But nothing but broccoli and cheese. I feel so hopeless, I’m so hungry. I want to eat but I’m lazy to order a delivery service. I’m saving money too. So I tried to make this broccoli and cheese the food I could be. Falling crumb one must be content with crust, so I paired this broccoli with cheese sauce.

What do you need to prepare?

• Broccoli – It is the main ingredient in this recipe. I use fresh broccoli because the texture is still crispy than frozen broccoli. Yet, if you have frozen broccoli on hand, you can use it. Adding or substituting the broccoli with cauliflower or other veggies also is alright.
• Olive Oil – You can change if you have a preference to roast this broccoli. I prefer using extra virgin olive oil, but other oil choices can be canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil to roast vegetables.
• Seasoning – I use garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper coarse grind. This combination seems simple, yet it makes the broccoli level up to the next level.

And for the cheese sauce, I use some ingredients to make it a more typical cheese sauce. These ingredients I use usually stock in the kitchen. There are :

• Milk – to add savory liquid to the sauce. Also, it make creamier sauce.
• Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter. Here, I use usual butter that taste like a bit salty.
• All-Purpose Flour – to thicken the sauce. For this sauce, flour is more recommended than cornstarch
• Cheese – I use shredded cheddar cheese and grated parmesan cheese.I recommend them but you can choose your favorite cheese to mix well.
• Spice – Here, I use only black pepper coarse grind beecause the saltiness is enough from the cheese and butter. But, if you want to add salt, be sure to adjust.

How to Make
Roasted Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

In a baking tray add broccoli, garlic powder, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Toss until combined.

Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the broccoli florets are golden brown and crispy. While waiting for the broccoli to finish roasting, you can make the cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce

In a pan, melt butter over medium heat. After melted, add the flour and toast until the flour turns a little bit golden about 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat down to low, add 1/4 part of the milk while mixing so there is no lump on the saucepan. Once blended, add the remaining milk in 1/4 part increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free from lumps.

After the sauce thickens, add black pepper, parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese. Mix until the cheese is melted.

The sauce is ready to serve.

Assembly

You can enjoy the roasted broccoli and drizzle the cheese sauce on top. Or you can put the cheese sauce in a bowl and enjoy the roasted broccoli by dipping it to the sauce.

Tips for Roast Broccoli

• Cut the broccoli into bite-size to make the broccoli easy to eat and roast properly.
• If you wash the broccoli, make sure the broccoli has dried well before roasting.
• Feel free to change the broccoli with other vegetables such as cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, or baked potatoes.
• If you have frozen broccoli in a hand, steam first before roast. Or, follow the package instruction.
• The longer the roasting time, the more tender broccoli you get.
• As optional, you can sprinkle the panko breadcrumbs on the top roast broccoli.
• Feel free to add other seasonings, herbs, or spices such as Garlic powder, all-purpose seasoning, Cajun seasoning, thyme, parsley, oregano, or chives.

Tips for Cheese Sauce

• Grate cheese before making sauce to make it smooth.
• Keep the sauce warm and stir regularly. If it cools, the sauce will start firm up.
• I use whole milk for the sauce. Yet, if you have low fat, evaporate, or skim milk, they will work too.
• If you want more a bit thicken sauce, you can add flour and whisk it until you get the thickness you want.
• For the yellowish sauce and a bit sour, you can add mustard.
• Use low heat when you cook the sauce.

Storaging and Reheating

• Broccoli mixed with cheese sauce can last well for 2 hours at room temperature. You can reheat it in a hot oven at up to 450ºF for 5 minutes.
• Or better yet, you can add the rest to other foods such as salads, soups, or sandwiches.
• If you want to store it in the fridge, it will last about 3 days in a closed container. It’s even better if you take it apart when storing it in the fridge.
• You can make broccoli frozen but for cheese sauce I hesitate to make it frozen. That’s because sometimes the cheese sauce will separate when reheated and the texture will be more like oil. Just make it suddenly, this sauce is easy.

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Do you want more vegetable idea recipes?

• Vietnamese Spring Rolls
• Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich
• Creamy Chicken Soup
• Edamame Salad
• Chicken Salad Tortilla Bowl