For some reason, our family always made the traditional Green Bean Casserole with broccoli. I really can’t tell you why, but that’s how we had broccoli. So, when my husband requested this for dinner one night, I accepted the challenge. Instead of using canned soup and canned onions, though, I knew I had to make the whole dish from scratch. Of course, Alton Brown came to the rescue this time, and while reading his rendition of the American classic, I decided it’s easy to make this dish in three steps. And I did.
Now easy doesn’t mean it doesn’t like a while. It does. So what I did was I doubled the recipe and froze one casserole. I love stocking my freezer.
Now if you look at this recipe as three pretty simple steps, you’ll make it. If you just look at the long list of steps and ingredients, you’ll probably just close your browser. So hear me out. First, you need to make the crispy onions for the top. Then, you need to make cream of mushroom soup. And lastly, you need steamed broccoli. Easy as that.
Broccoli Casserole, adapted from Alton Brown:
Ingredients:
For the Broccoli:
- 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, and stems peeled and sliced
For the Onions:
- 4 medium-small onions, sliced into thin rings
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons panko
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cream of Mushroom Soup:
- 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
Directions:
1. In a large pot with a steamer, or even in the microwave, steam the broccoli for 5 minutes, until soft and bright green.
2. Make the onions: Preheat to oven to 475 degrees.
3. In a large bowl, combined the sliced onions, panko, salt, and flour.
4. Spread the onions out evenly on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. While the onions are cooking, make the soup: Melt the butter (or heat the oil) over high heat.
7. Add the mushrooms and a teaspoon of salt and pepper, mixing until the mushrooms give off some liquid, 5-6 minutes.
8. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
9. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir, cooking for a minute.
10. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the fire down to a simmer and let simmer for 1 minutes.
11. Add the half and half and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 more minutes.
12. Combine: Mix the broccoli into the soup.
13. Pour the mixture into your baking dish. Top with the onions.
14. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly.
