This is an interesting combination. I think we don’t often think of celery as a side dish. At least I don’t. So I was interested in how this recipe would turn out.
I used bell peppers and carrots from the garden. We planted kaleidoscope carrots this year. So the carrots had a ton of color. And they taste so very fresh when they are picked a few minutes before you cook them.
Cooking the vegetables first takes away a lot of the crunch. Thankfully they did not get too mushy during the entire baking process.
The sauce is basically a mild cheese sauce. It isn’t heavy like a macaroni and cheese sauce, but remains fairly light.
This dish was actually quite nice. I served it with the Baked Chicken With Rosemary. It was a nice side dish.
CREAMY VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
4 Cups Sliced Celery
1 Cup Sliced Carrots
1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced
Boiling Salted Water
1/3 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Grated Cheddar
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons Dry Bread Crumbs
Place the sliced celery, carrot and bell pepper in a saucepan with 1 inch of boiling salted water. Cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place vegetables in casserole. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan. Add flour and salt. Gradually blend in the milk. Add the grated cheese, cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thicken and smooth. Pour over the vegetables in the casserole. Melt remaining butter and combine with bread crumbs. Scatter over sauced vegetables. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
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