My Grandma's Broccoli au Gratin: The Comfort Food I Can't Live Without — And It All Started with a Boxed Recipe

My grandmother is an incredibly skilled Italian cook; her red sauce is pure magic. Growing up, I was spoiled with Southern Italian dishes made with love for every family dinner. But even with all her Italian specialties, Grandma also had a few American recipes tucked away in her collection.

Like many women of her time, my grandmother was a working mom in the 1970s. Classic Italian dishes like simmering red sauce or handmade pasta just weren't feasible on busy weeknights when dinner needed to be on the table quickly.

With the rise of microwave cooking and convenient boxed dinners, brands began including recipes on the back of their packaging. These semi-homemade meals made their way into kitchens across the country. One of these recipes, my grandma's broccoli au gratin, became a staple at our family dinners, and it still holds a place at our table today. My grandma doesn't remember where she found it — she says she's been making it since my dad and aunt were kids — but she's certain it came from a box or bag.

Grandma Bev's broccoli au gratin features a rich, roux-based cheese sauce poured over broccoli and baked to perfection. But to me, it's so much more than that — it's love. It's the dish I've asked for every birthday, and every time I came home from college. It's the dish my grandma brings to every Christmas dinner. It's the dish we silently shared after my grandfather passed. Even after years of professional cooking training, I still can't recreate it exactly like she does — and honestly, I don't mind one bit.

Grandma Bev's Broccoli au Gratin

If you're familiar with making a homemade mac and cheese cheese sauce, this method will feel similar, but with a twist: the secret ingredient is cream cheese. Just a small amount makes the sauce incredibly smooth, perfectly enveloping the broccoli florets. The only tweak I make to my grandma's original recipe is a dash of hot sauce. It doesn't add noticeable heat, but the acidity and spice enhance the rich, creamy sauce.

Ingredients

Two heads of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

6 tablespoons butter, divided

4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1 quart of whole milk

8 oz of your favorite shredded Cheddar cheese

2 oz of cream cheese

Two or three dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I prefer a Louisiana-style variety)

1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, drop in the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, then drain. Rinse the broccoli briefly under cold water to stop the cooking process and set it aside in the strainer.
3. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the flour, sprinkling it evenly into the pan. Whisk together to form a roux, cooking for 4-5 minutes until the roux deepens in color.
4. Gradually pour in about ⅓ of the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. The mixture will thicken into a paste. Continue adding the rest of the milk slowly, whisking between each addition. Once the milk is fully incorporated, season generously with salt and pepper, then add the Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and hot sauce, stirring to combine.
5. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, until the cheese has completely melted.
6. Taste the sauce; it should be a bit thinner and saltier than expected. It will thicken further as it cooks and will also season the broccoli.
7. Ensure the broccoli is dry, then spread it out in a glass baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli, making sure all the florets are covered. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top, then dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, broken into small pieces.
8. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the top is golden, bubbly, and perfectly delicious.