Potato Broccoli Casserole
Potato broccoli casserole combines creamy potatoes, fresh broccoli, and a cheesy topping in an easy-to-make dish ready in just one hour. Perfect for family dinners or potlucks, this casserole is a crowd-pleaser!
Servings: 8
Calories: 389kcal
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature, divided (1 tablespoon to butter the baking dish and 4 tablespoons for the sauce)
- 2 ½ pounds approximately 5-6 medium sized russet potatoes, peeled
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces (from 1 large head of broccoli)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup half & half
- 1 ½ cups full-fat sour cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded colby-jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Using 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, butter the sides , and bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
- To a small saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, cream cheese, seasoned salt and black pepper. As the butter and cream cheese start to melt, whisk to combine until there are no lumps of cream cheese remaining.
- Once the cream cheese mixture is smooth, whisk in the half & half until fully incorporated and the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat to allow the sauce to cool before adding to the potatoes.
- In a large pot, add the peeled potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are just tender enough to be easily pierced by a fork or knife. This should take about 15 minutes for smaller potatoes or 20-25 minutes for larger ones. You do not want your potatoes too soft as they will continue to cook in the oven.
- Just before your potatoes are done cooking, add the broccoli florets to the pot of boiling potatoes. Allow the broccoli to partially cook for 2 minutes then remove the broccoli from the pot using a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Place the partially cooked broccoli into a medium bowl and set aside. This helps to start the broccolis cooking and brightens the broccoli to a bright green color.
- Pour the boiled potatoes into a large colander, in the sink, to drain off all the water and allow the potatoes to cool as the excess steam escapes from the potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, roughly chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces and add them back to the empty large pot to continue to cool and allow as much excess moisture to evaporate.
- To the pot of chopped potatoes, add the cooled sauce and sour cream. Stir to coat all the potatoes evenly.
- Add the broccoli florets to the potatoes and gently toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Top the potato broccoli casserole with the shredded colby jack cheese in an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
- Allow the potato broccoli casserole to cool on the counter for 5 minutes, to allow the sauce to cool slightly and set-up, before serving.
Notes
- Block style, full-fat, cream cheese is best to use for this recipe.
- You can substitute the half & half with heavy cream, or whole milk, however we do not recommend using anything lower in fat than the whole milk for the best texture and consistency of the sauce.
- Russet potatoes were used in this recipe but Yukon Gold potatoes would make a great substitute if needed.
- Mild cheddar cheese is a great substitute for the colby-jack cheese.
- To spread the butter in your baking dish you can either use a pastry brush or a clean paper towel.
Nutrition
Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 868mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1104IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 2mg