May 12, 2010

Fresh Vegetable Casserole

"For-a-Crowd" Recipes, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, casserole, cheese, herbs, Potluck Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes, vegetable side, Vegetarian Recipes, zucchini

Presented by

38 ratings

Prep time: 26 minutes
baking time 30 to 40 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Partner: Peppered Beef Rib Roast

Roast beef somehow tasted even better with a side serving of this vegetable casserole.

Ingredients

2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup each shredded Cheddar cheese and mayonnaise
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup each chopped green bell pepper and onion
1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley and basil
3 tablespoons butter
12 saltine crackers, crushed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2

Steam the broccoli and carrots in a steamer until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; drain well.
3

Combine Cheddar, mayonnaise, hot pepper sauce and black pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
4

Add broccoli, carrots, zucchini, celery, bell pepper, onion, parsley and basil to Cheddar mixture and mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish.
5

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add crackers. Cook, stirring continually, until the crackers are browned, about 2 minutes.
6

Remove cracker mixture from heat. Stir in Parmesan. Sprinkle over vegetable mixture. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Grandma's Secret Trick

When the zucchini, onion and bell pepper seemed juicy and watery, Grandma found that adding them uncooked to the casserole could result in a watery casserole. To prevent this, she sometimes steamed these vegetables along with the broccoli and carrots before mixing them with the remaining ingredients.