Thanksgiving Family Fave Veggie Casserole

Mom Always Finds Out received promotional items and the veggie casserole recipe card as part of the Country Crock Casserole blogger program. All opinions expressed are my own. The sponsor is responsible for giveaway prize fulfillment. 

What’s your family’s favorite vegetable side dish? 

An easy vegetable side dish that complements just about any meal is the Thanksgiving Family Fave Veggie Casserole by Country Crock. You can use fresh vegetables OR if you are in a hurry, use frozen veggies to save prep time. It doesn’t take long to toss the ingredients together, and only 25 minutes to bake.

Thanksgiving Family Fave Veggie Casserole

courtesy of Country Crock 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Country Crock spread, divided
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 8 cups cooked mixed vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower florets, red pepper and/or green beans)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded 2 % cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Melt 1/4 cup Country Crock® Spread over medium-high heat in large nonstick skillet and cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes; remove to bowl.
2. Melt remaining 1/4 cup Spread in same skillet and add vegetables; toss to coat. Pour 1/2 into shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the crumb mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

My kids can be a bit picky about their vegetables. Some like broccoli, some don’t. It’s nearly impossible to please them all unless I use the universally agreed upon veggie mix of carrots, corn and peas. I made my own take on this veggie casserole, turning it into more of a main dish than a side dish by adding shell pasta noodles and a lot more cheese.

Veggie Mac & Cheese 

• 10 oz bag of frozen mixed veggies, thawed (carrots, corn, peas)
• 1 lb shell pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 3 cups grated cheese (I used a mix of Cheddar and Swiss)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 cups milk
• 8 T. Country Crock Spread (divided)
• 4 T. flour
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Melt 6 T. Country Crock in a medium sized saucepan. Whisk 4 T. flour into the mix and then add 3 cups of milk. Continue to stir over medium to medium low heat and gradually add in the grated cheese and cook until melted completely.
3. Pour cooked and drained pasta noodles into a large baking dish. Add thawed veggies and melted cheese mixture. Stir until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a small bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs with 2 T. Country Crock. Sprinkle on top of the pasta in the baking dish.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Bread crumb topping will be slightly browned.

Will you be baking with Country Crock this holiday season? What are some of your favorite side dishes to serve?