Creamy Veggie Casserole
This recipe balances veggie goodness with creamy decadence and is the perfect answer to chilly fall days. Though this dish tastes wonderfully rich, it is surprisingly healthy. This recipe makes 12 generous servings, about 150 calories per serving (including sour cream garnish). It’s great straight from the oven. It’s even better the next day. I’ve experimented with many vegetable combinations. These two are my favorites. The vegetables have different characteristics so prep is different.
Variation 1: Zucchini, Mushroom, and Cauliflower
Zucchini and mushrooms have a very high water content. To release excess water, sweat* the veggies by tossing them with a teaspoon of table salt (don’t use Kosher salt) and cook them over medium heat until there’s a good bit of liquid at the bottom of the pan. It takes around 15 minutes. Don’t let the water boil too much. You don’t want the veggies to be shriveled. The chopped cauliflower doesn’t release water, it actually steams in the liquid released from the other veggies and keeps it moist.
Variation 2: Broccoli and Cauliflower
These vegetables have a low water content so need to be steamed for about fifteen minutes to keep them tender while they bake. Just put a half a cup or so of water at the bottom of the pot. The chopped broccoli should be bright green and still firm.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
4 TBS butter
4 TBS flour
2 cups milk, warmed
Seasoning: 1-2 TBS chicken stock paste, 1/4 tsp dried mustard, 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
For the casserole:
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
table salt
Sour cream for garnish
Veg Option 1: 16 oz sliced mushrooms, 5 cups chopped zucchini, 5 cups chopped cauliflower
Veg Option 2: 8 cups chopped broccoli, 8 cups chopped cauliflower
For the Bechamel* sauce, first make the roux.** Melt butter, add flour, whisk over medium heat until nut brown. Add warm milk into the roux, whisk until smooth. Stir frequently until bubbling, let cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in mustard and nutmeg. Season béchamel to taste with chicken paste (I use 1 TBS). Remember, chicken paste is mostly salt. Also remember, that cooked veggies can be bland and are salt sponges. They need a salty, rich, sauce for flavor.
Variation 1: Toss chopped veggies with 1 tsp salt, sweat*** over medium heat until water is released. Drain. Variation 2: Steam chopped veggies for 15 minutes, drain.
Gently mix 1/2 cup of béchamel into veggies. Mix half the parmesan with half the bread crumbs and fold into the vegetable mixture.
Spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a pyrex baking pan, Add vegetables. Smooth remaining béchamel over top. Mix cheese with remaining bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top.
Bake until mixture bubbles & top is toasty. About 45 minutes @ 350.
*Sweating means heating veggies just enough to release some water.
**Bechamel sauce is a classic white sauce. It is, along with Hollandaise, Velouté, Brown or Espagnole, and Tomato, one of the five Mother Sauces in classic French cuisine.
***A roux is a thickening paste made from equal parts butter and flour. The thickness of the sauce depends on how much roux is used.
Use 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS flour per cup of liquid to use as a base for a soup.
Use 2 TBS butter and 2 TBS flour per cup of liquid to use as a sauce
Use 3 TBS butter and 3 TBS flour per cup of liquid to use as a topper (like for a baked potato)
