When cold weather arrives, there’s a desire to prepare richer and more substantial dishes like these gratinated vegetables. A very versatile side dish where you can use the vegetables you like most, adding cured meats or cheeses. Today I am offering you the simple, quick, yet tasty version. Yesterday I cooked potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower for another recipe, and since I had quite a bit left over, I decided to gratinate them, and here is the result.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 broccoli (medium)
- 1 cauliflower (medium)
- 5 potatoes
- 2 cups milk
- 6.5 tbsp flour
- 3.5 tbsp butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Steps
Start preparing your gratinated vegetables by cutting broccoli and cauliflower into florets and washing them under running water. I had cooked everything the day before by steaming, but you can also blanch them in salted water for about 10-12 minutes. Separately, wash the potatoes and boil them in plenty of salted water; it will take about 20 minutes. When the vegetables are cooked, drain them and run them under cold running water to stop the cooking. As for the potatoes, peel them and cut them into not too small cubes.
Now focus on preparing the béchamel: start by melting the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and salt with the heat off, and mix well using a whisk. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat the milk and gradually pour it into the flour and butter mixture, being careful not to form lumps. Put back on the heat and stir with a whisk, cooking for at least 5 minutes over high heat. When it reaches a boil, it will be thick enough.
At this point, add half of the grated Parmesan cheese to the béchamel and mix. Preheat the oven to 350°F in fan mode. Take a baking dish of about 13 x 10 inches (or 4 small ones) and pour half of the béchamel on its surface, then add the broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes. Pour the rest of the béchamel and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake in the hot oven for about 25-30 minutes until a crust forms on the surface of your gratin. Once cooked, let it cool slightly and serve. It’s a rich and tasty side dish.
Did you like this recipe? Then take a look HERE for many quick and tasty recipes with broccoli.
Saby recommends…
Gratinated vegetables can easily become a main dish if you add ground meat that you’ve previously sautéed with onion and oil. Try it, and you’ll get a very tasty dish.
