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Vegetables with Cream Cheese Sauce

A casserole of frozen mixed vegetables baked in a creamy sauce of butter, flour, milk, cream cheese, and Parmesan.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Broccoli and cauliflower match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Vegetables with Cream Cheese Sauce

Oven350°F
Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cook vegetables until almost done, then drain and place in casserole dish.

Make the sauce

  1. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour until smooth.

  2. Add milk, cream cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until thick.

Bake and serve

  1. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

  2. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1121Calories
37 gProtein
52 gFat
128 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Broccoli + cauliflowertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together127 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,555 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Broccoli + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,442 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  4. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Cauliflower + carrottop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together381 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter
Melts with flour to form the roux that thickens the sauce and adds richness.
Flour
Thickens the sauce with the melted butter, giving it body and a smooth texture.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens as it heats.
Cream cheese
Adds creaminess and tang, making the sauce rich and smooth.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory flavor and helps the topping brown in the oven.

The step that matters

Stirring the sauce until thick. Flour thickens only when the mixture is stirred and heated enough for its starch to swell. Stopping early leaves a thin sauce, while sticking to the pan or lumps can form if it is not stirred steadily.

Swap the carrot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (broccoli, cauliflower, butter, flour, milk, cream cheese, pepper):

  1. Chivefits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Asparagusfits better
  4. Carrotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against broccoli, cauliflower, butter, flour, milk, cream cheese, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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