This creamy Vegetable Casserole recipe is a classic holiday side. It has veggies in a cream sauce, melted cheese and French fried onions!
This creamy vegetable casserole is a fabulous way to enjoy veggies and a MUST at all of our holiday dinners.
Tonia’s Notes
My sister-in-law, Bev, is a wonderful cook! Everything she makes is delicious and she makes it look effortless.
Every time we have a family get together, she brings another mouthwatering dessert or some tasty casserole. And was lucky enough to go to Thanksgiving at her house this year!
Two of my favorite dishes at the Thanksgiving dinner were the sweet potato casserole (whipped sweet potatoes topped with brown sugar and pecans) and the vegetable bake, both of which were made by Bev!
She first brought her veggie bake a few years ago and now we always ask that she bring it to holiday dinners. Finally, I had to ask her for the recipe and after making a couple of small changes, here is my Creamy Veggie Casserole.
How To Make
Make Roux
Whisk butter, flour, and diced onion while cooking it over medium-low heat until it is light brown, for about 3 minutes.
Add milk, salt, and pepper, continue whisking over medium-low heat until thickened.
Cream Sauce
Add cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Veggies
Cook the frozen mixed vegetables according to the instructions on the package. Put the veggies in a greased casserole dish and set aside. I used a deep dish 9-inch pie pan. Pour the cream sauce over the cooked veggies. Gently mix until the veggies are coated.
Bake
Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake the vegetable casserole at 350°F for 25 minutes. Top with French fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Recipe Tips
1. Can I use fresh vegetables instead of frozen? Yes! One 12 oz bag of frozen vegetables has 4 cups of cut-up broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in it. So, you would need 8 cups of cut vegetables. Cook them before adding the cream sauce (like with the frozen veggies) to ensure they are tender once the casserole is finished baking.
2. I’m making this for a crowd and wondering if it can be doubled? When making this for large family holiday dinners, I double the recipe and put it into a 9×13 inch pan.
3. Can I make this a few hours ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake? Yes, but you will need to add several minutes to the baking time since the veggies and cream sauce will be cold. Cook until everything is hot and bubbly, then add the French fried onions and bake an extra 5 minutes.
4. How can I make this vegetable casserole a little lighter? I would try using Neufchatel cheese instead of regular cream cheese. Skip the shredded cheddar cheese and French-fried onions. You could also try adding less cream sauce to the veggies.
More Side Dishes
All of the holiday side dishes are my favorite part of the meal! Here are a few of our favorites for you to try.
Vegetable Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 24 oz mixed veggies cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, (two 12 oz bags)
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon minced onion
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Cook veggies and pour into a greased casserole dish (I used a deep 9-inch pie pan).
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the cream sauce. Whisk butter, flour, and diced onion while cooking it over medium-low heat until it is light brown, for about 3 minutes. Add milk, salt and pepper continue whisking over medium-low heat until thickened. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth.
- Pour cream sauce over veggies. Gently mix until the veggies are coated.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle French fried onions on top and bake another 5 minutes.
R. Madsen says
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it, then bake it on the day I want to serve it?
Tonia Larson says
Hello R. Madsen,
Yes it can be made ahead of time. Use a metal pan for the casserole, cover with plastic wrap and then foil before freezing it.
Enjoy,
Tonia
Donna W says
I made this for a Thanksgiving a few years ago. Then lost the recipe. So glad to have found it again!
Tonia Larson says
Fantastic! This one is a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners!
Maria Lopez says
Made this one time our mixed family (half vegetarian half meat eaters). The only change I made was I used crushed Ritz crackers on top not the fried onions because it’s what we had. It was loved by all. I am thinking of adding a chopped zucchini and increasing the sauce to 1.5x to make it more creamy. I love saucy food! Thanks for a great veggie recipe to add to the rotation. It definitely gives boring veggies some pizzazz!
Karen VanWinkle says
Fixed this for a New Year’s party. Guests loved it.
Tonya says
Hi,
I LOVE this recipe and make it frequently! Do you happen know the calorie count per serving?
Thanks!
Tonya
Tonia says
Hi Tonya,
I do not but you can calculate it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Best,
Tonia
Brenda Williams says
I’ve been searching for this recipe for years; had it-lost it. Thanks.
Note: It is still delish without the onion toppings.
Wanda says
How many people will 2 12oz bags serve?
Tonia says
This recipe would serve about 12 people, depending on what size servings everyone takes. Enjoy!
Kim says
Tonia,
Can I make this a few hours ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake?
Thanks!
Kim
Tonia says
Hi Kim,
Yes, but you will need to add several minutes to the baking time since the veggies and cream sauce will be cold. Cook until everything is hot and bubbly, then add the French fried onions and bake an extra 5 minutes.t!
~Tonia
Donna Howard says
Making this tonight! Sounds yum -one question! A teaspoon of diced onion?? Dried???
Tonia says
Hi Donna,
Yes, I used the dried/dehydrated kind but you can use fresh chopped onion if your family prefers that! Happy cooking!
~Tonia
Liz says
Nice recipe. Thank you.
Anna Bennett says
Tonia,
The Veggie Casserole looks awesome. I shared it with almost every one on my Facebook list & I will e-mail it to those not on Facebook.
I’m going to ask my daughter if she will make it ether for Christmas Dinner or for New Years.