Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce (Kalyn’s Food Assignment for Thanksgiving Dinner)

Thanksgiving is all about traditions, and my family wants this Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce every year! And even though I don’t really cook much with canned soup any more, this recipe is always a crowd-pleaser.

I was on the phone with my sister Sandee and we were talking about Thanksgiving Dinner. Sandee had just asked me what I wanted to bring for dinner and immediately my foodie brain had switched into high gear. I started rattling off ideas for interesting Thanksgiving dishes I had seen in magazines and on other food blogs. Sandee listened patiently, and then she quietly said, “Don’t try out anything new on us.”

I laughed out loud. “I’m putting that on the blog,” I said. Sandee said she didn’t mind if I repeated it on the blog, as long as I brought the Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce again this year.

Thanksgiving in America is all about traditions. Entire families have been known to rebel if the person who makes Thanksgiving dinner tries out a new recipe for stuffing. So, even if my tastes have changed quite a bit over time, when Thanksgiving rolls around, I am delegated to make a dish that I first made years (and years and years) ago, when I was barely learning to cook.

There have been a few years I have tried to “improve” on this recipe, once even making a nice homemade cheese sauce with expensive imported cheese. But when I do, my family gently comments that they really prefer “the way you usually make it.”

So there you have it. My Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese sauce has a cheese sauce made with Campbells Cheddar Cheese Soup, mayonnaise, a touch of lemon juice and black pepper. The only improvising I am allowed these days is a little grated cheese mixed into the sauce to make it a little more cheesy.

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Yield: 6 servings

Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

My family wants this old-style Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce ever year, even though it doesn't really seem like the kind of things I normally cook these days!

Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh broccoli flowerets
• 10.5 oz. can Campbells cheddar cheese soup
• 2/3 cup mayo (do not use fat free)
• 1 T fresh lemon juice (or more)
• generous amount black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Cut broccoli into same size pieces (bite size), put in pan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil.
3. When the broccoli turns bright green (about 2-3 minutes), immediately take off heat and drain.
4. Pour well drained broccoli into casserole dish with a lid.
5. In a bowl mix cheese soup, mayo, lemon juice and pepper. Mix in 1 cup grated cheese.
6. Pour sauce over broccoli and bake covered until just starting to bubble, about 25 minutes.
7. Remove lid and sprinkle over 1/2 cup grated cheese and bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 10 minutes more.
8. Serve hot.

Notes

This is the Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce I've been making since I was a teenager, and some people in my family still ask for it every year. I have no idea where I found the recipe!

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 524Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 77mgSodium 829mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 7gSugar 3gProtein 21g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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P.S. Now it’s after Thanksgiving and I’m coming back to show you how much was left from two dishes of Thanksgiving Broccoli with Cheese Sauce that I made. 

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