When life hands you lemons, you make a delicious, low-carb drink to go with this fun, simple vegetable casserole. I didn’t have anything in mind when I made this dish, save for to use up the vegetables in my fridge after other cooking experiments. What commenced was a pretty tremendous, delicious dish that looks good enough for company.

That is, if you wanted to share.

With literally a little bit of of this and that from the fridge, you can put together a medley of vegetables that provide vital nutrients and also satisfies your desire for fresh, in season vegetables coated in a delectable, creamy cheese hug of fabulosity. Go ahead. Drool. Ponder. I don’t mind. I’m right there with you.

I originally made this dish with the leftover bechamel from my Swiss Chard Casserole. If you’d like, this means you can make this recipe after that one, saving aside some of the yogurty goodness. Or you can add coconut or almond milk to this recipe, if you find you need a little extra creamy oomph that doesn’t max out your dairy. Have fun and play with it.

Tip: Want to save carbohydrates and calories? Try subbing out 1-2 cups of the heavy white cream for coconut milk or almond milk.

Because we love information, I’ve made sure to include variables below, such as the nutritional information for the cheese sauce alone, the entire recipe, and then by 1/16th or 1/12th of the entire dish, per your needs. Of course, I openly admit to eating more than a serving in a sitting, but due to the fat content and the staying power of the fiber in the vegetables, it was a knockout in terms of taste and satiety–I wasn’t hungry again for hours!

This is your moment to shine, you kitchen artist! What’s in your fridge begging to jump into a bake?

Tip: The key to this terrific dish is to not over think it. Use what you have on hand and have fun with it. Cheese sauce covers a multitude of sins.

Zucchini Broccoli Cauliflower Cheesy Bake

4 cups heavy white cream

4 cups cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, feta, or anything you have on hand)

4 tsp garlic powder

4 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper

two small [6″] zucchini, sliced thin (about 2 cups)

1 package frozen (or fresh) cauliflower, thawed (about 16 ounces)

1 head fresh broccoli florets and stems, chopped

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped (divided. Save some for garnish)

2 cups fresh green beans, broken in half

1 green pepper, chopped

8 shredded baby organic carrots

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add heavy white cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and heat until a near boil. Add the cheese and stir, incorporating all the ingredients. Once the cheese melts, pour over vegetables in casserole dishes (or a really large casserole dish).

While the heavy cream is heating, I typically add the veggies to their respective casserole pans (large and small pans, because I like variety and sometimes want to freeze the extras). That way, when you’re ready, add the cream sauce, stir, and you’re ready to bake. Here, I add the zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, parsley, green beans, pepper, carrots, garlic and onion.

Bake at 350, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. In the last 15 minutes, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top to just melt. Serve warm, cold or three days old. It doesn’t matter. This stuff is hard-core delicious.

Share. Maybe.

Makes a bum-load of servings.

Per 1/12 of the recipe: 293 Cals.; 10 g Carbs.; 3 g Fiber; 7 g Net Carbs. ; 15 g Protein; 16 g Fat

Per 1/16 of the recipe: 220 Cals.; 8 g Carbs.; 3 g Fiber; 5 g Net Carbs. ; 11 g Protein; 12 g Fat

For the cheese sauce alone [entire recipe]: 2973 Cals.; 17 g Carbs.; 0 g Fiber; 17 g Net Carbs. ; 143 g Protein; 185 g Fat

Per entire recipe: 3512 Cals.; 125 g Carbs.; 40 g Fiber; 85 g Net Carbs. ; 178 g Protein; 188 g Fat

