This Broccoli Blue Cheese Bake is a savory side dish everyone will love!

We’ve been on vacation for three weeks. Three weeks! We’ve had fun but we’re glad to be home living in our piles of laundry. And did I mention that my dishwasher is broken? It’s amazing how I take modern technology for granted but I really cannot wait to get that thing fixed.

Broccoli Blue Cheese Bake

Our first stop was in Colorado to hit the slopes. I’ve always thought I was pretty coordinated until I married my husband who is freakishly good at everything from Words with Friends to wakeboarding. Snowboarding is the one thing we can do together that I can actually hang with him on. Of course he’s really good at that too…but now with a family and job, he’s not pulling any Shaun White type jumps. Here’s an ice castle we took the family to…

I’m still nursing so I boarded half a day at Copper Mountain while my MIL and SIL Kristy, watched my baby for me. Does anyone else get anxiety every single time they get off the lift? I’m so scared I’m going to fall and be THAT person that they have to stop the entire lift for.

We had good intentions to eat healthy. We did p90x in the morning…and then it was a downward spiral from there ending with Taffy truffles at night while playing cards. Dang you Kristy for making those!

This broccoli blue cheese bake isn’t exactly healthy but is a great side dish for those broccoli lovers like me. The broccoli is combined with a creamy sauce and topped with buttery Ritz crackers. I asked my husband to guess what kind of cheese was in this and he couldn’t put his finger on it. So the blue cheese flavor isn’t terribly strong; it just adds flavor and richness. This would be a great side dish for Easter.

Broccoli Blue Cheese Bake

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This Broccoli Blue Cheese Bake is a savory side dish everyone will love!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cups freshsmall broccoli florets
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1-2 large garlic cloves, minced (if you love garlic use 2 cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbled, (for a milder blue cheese flavor reduce to 1/3 cup)
  • 1 cup milk or light cream
  • fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups Ritz butter cracker crumbs, (a little shy of two sleeves of crackers)
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a medium cooking dish with cooking spray.
  • Steam broccoli florets until firm but tender for about 2-3 minutes. I put my broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with 2 inches of water and microwaved it for 3 minutes. Drain well then pat dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible.
  • In a large saucepan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.
  • Add the cream cheese, blue cheese and milk or cream; stir over low heat until melted and smooth then stir in the broccoli florets.
  • In a bowl combine the cracker crumbs with 6 tablespoons melted butter until well combined. Remove 1 cup of the cracker mixture and stir it into the broccoli mixture. Season with black pepper.
  • Transfer mixture into a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining cracker crumbs. Return to oven and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 4-5 servings.
Cuisine: American
Course: Side Dish