Vegetable Au Gratin| Baked Vegetables

November 21, 2021Niketa
Vegetable Au Gratin

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Vegetable Au Gratin is inspired by the popular French delicacy Gratin Dauphinoise – Boiled veggies tossed in butter and generously coated in creamy sauce, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly & melty. This vegetable au gratin is a fool proof veggie side which will have your guest come back for more. The best thing about this recipe is you can prepare the veggies and sauce ahead of time. You can easily assemble this casserole & bake it just before you are ready to serve.

I have used fresh fall produce for this recipe, you can add veggies of your choice. Make sure they are hard veggies. The veggies are then boiled and folded in creamy cheesy alfredo sauce, topped with two types of cheese and baked until it melts. If you love cheese then this side dish is for you.

  • Vegetable Au Gratin

What is Au Gratin?

A “gratin” is any dish that is topped with cheese or breadcrumbs, then heated in the oven until the cheese melts. A gratin is often cooked in a creamy sauce like béchamel or alfredo. It’s always cooked with cheese and sometimes contain a breadcrumb topping.

Why I Love This Vegetable Au Gratin

  • It’s easy to make and made with some basic ingredients.
  • It’s loaded with fall veggies like beans, carrots, potatoes & peas making it a perfect holiday side dish.
  • This veggie side dish can be assembled ahead of time & can be baked just before serving.
  • This recipe is such a great way to get picky eaters to get in those veggies, especially since its covered in finger licking creamy sauce.

How To Make Perfect Au Gratin

Veggies

I have used potatoes, cauliflower, beans, carrots & peas for this recipe. Each vegetable has a different cooking time. To ensure even cooking cut them into equal size. Cook vegetables referring to the details in recipe card below. The veggies are cooked until soft but still have bite to them. To keep vegetables from overcooking drain the water and run the veggies under cold water to stop them from cooking. Always simmer vegetables as vigorous boiling will cause them to fall apart.

Alfredo Sauce

I have used rich creamy alfredo sauce instead of béchamel sauce. My alfredo sauce recipe uses milk as the base instead of cream, which makes it easier because milk is always available in the fridge. Most recipes use heavy cream as its base but its not a common fridge staple. My super easy recipe requires just milk, a little flour to thicken the sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, little cream and cheese. Besides being perfect for this recipe, this sauce works great with pasta and pizza. Store the leftover sauce in a jar with a lid. This sauce stores well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. To get a perfect roux follow the quantities mentioned in the recipe card to a tee.

Baking Au Gratin

Make sure to preheat the oven before putting the baking dish in. Bake the gratin not more than 20 minutes, the sauce thickens and cheese gets bubbly and melty. Serve it as a side with garlic bread or roasted chicken.

Tips & Variation

  • Don’t swap out lower fat milk or cheese. The beauty of this recipe lies in its creamy & bubbly sauce. Swapping out lower fat dairy for the heavy cream and whole milk will result in a watery gratin.
  • Cut your veggies into roughly equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly. You can use veggies of your choice like broccoli, zucchini, mushroom, sweetcorn. If using zucchini and mushrooms, sauté them in butter before adding the sauce.
  • Use cheese you enjoy best for this recipe, just make sure its a good melting variety like cheddar, low moisture mozzarella. I added parmesan for the extra flavor. 
  • Alfredo sauce is used in this vegetable bake. You can use a good quality store bought sauce for the convenience. Rao’s Homemade is my favorite. 
  • Vegetable Au Gratin

Here are some more recipes to serve during holiday season:

Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine

Rose Cheesecake| Instant Pot Eggless Cheesecake

Beetroot Cutlet

Print Recipe

Vegetable Au Gratin

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Serves: 6

This creamy cheesy Vegetable Au Gratin is a perfect side dish for any occasion. Its made with veggies tossed in alfredo sauce, topped with two types of cheese, and then baked until it comes out bubbly & melty.

Ingredients

For White Sauce

  • 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp All purpose Flour
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 3 cup Milk
  • 1/4 cup Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Salt

For the casserole

  • 1 cup Cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup Diced Potatoes
  • 1 cup French Beans
  • 1 cup Carrots
  • 1/2 cup Peas
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Parsley

For Toppings

  • 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan

Method

Making Alfredo Sauce

  • 1)

    In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add finely chopped garlic and sauté for a minute. Add flour and keep stirring frequently until the mixture is pale golden & has a slightly nutty aroma.

  • 2)

    Pour  2 cups of milk, whisk constantly until the sauce is smooth. Add 1 more cup of milk, cook the mixture stirring constantly until the sauce begins to thicken. It takes about 7 minutes.

  • 3)

    Reduce the heat to low, add heavy cream, cheddar chees , salt, pepper & nutmeg. Mix well & simmer the sauce stirring occasionally or until the sauce thickens and does not have lumps when rubbed between two fingers.

Preparing the veggies

  • 1)

    Cut all the veggies in similar size. Add 5 cups water to a pot, bring it to boil.

  • 2)

    When the water is boiled, add in the diced potatoes boil for 3 minutes. Add cauliflower & french beans and cook for another 3 minutes. Next add carrots cook for 3 minutes, lastly add peas cook for 1 minute. Drain the vegetables and set aside.

  • 3)

    On medium heat melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Add dried parsley & drained veggies. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, toss the veggies and switch off the heat.

  • 4)

    Add 1.5 cups of alfredo sauce to the veggies, gently mix so the veggies are evenly coated with the sauce. Pour in veggie mixture in 10 x 8″ baking dish and spread out into an even layer.

  • 5)

    Top with 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce & evenly sprinkle cheddar cheese and parmesan on top of the vegetables.

Baking

  • 1)

    Bake in a preheated oven at 356 degree F (180 c) for 20 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese has melted.

  • 2)

    Remove from the oven and serve hot with some bread.

Notes

  • Alfredo sauce is used in this vegetable bake. You can use a good quality store bought sauce for the convenience. Rao’s Homemade is my favorite.
  • Use cheese you enjoy best for this recipe, just make sure its a good melting variety like cheddar, low moisture mozzarella. I added parmesan for the extra flavor.
  • Cut your veggies into roughly equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
  • You can use veggies of your choice like broccoli & sweetcorn.
  • Parsley adds a lovely earthy flavor to this bake, you an omit the parsley or substitute with thyme, rosemary or chives
  • Drain the water well & let the boiled veggies sit for a few minutes before mixing with the sauce.

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