Baked Vegetables in White Sauce

August 7, 2020 by Prajakta 46 Comments

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Baked Vegetables in White Sauce is a rich creamy dish of vegetables cooked in cheesy white sauce. Baked Vegetables in White Sauce is one of those beautiful one pot Continental dishes which you can devour just by itself.

Baked Vegetables in White Sauce was one of the first baked savory dishes I ever made. Back in those days when I was in college my dad got us our first convection microwave. Me and my mom became the curious food explorers, trying out various recipes that can be cooked in the fascinating gadget.

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After baking few cakes and roasting some fish and chicken we came across the recipe for Baked Vegetables in White Sauce in the user manual. Curious to try something new, we both ventured into making this exotic dish.

In those days the exotic vegetables were not that easily available. I remember going to a special market about an hour away from our place to find the baby corns, red and yellow peppers, broccoli and of course mushrooms.

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The first time we made Baked Vegetables in White Sauce it was a huge hit. It became a delicacy that we would cook on a special occasion.

Now a days all these ingredients are easily available, however with passing years and some experimentation I started using other available veggies too.

It is also a good way to feed some healthy veggies to kids.

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Photo 1596768044113 Wm — Baked Vegetables In White Sauce

What vegetables should you add in Baked Vegetables in White Sauce?

The best combination of vegetables that compliment each others flavors and enhance this dish are, sweet corns, carrots, broccoli, green bell peppers / capsicum, French beans, green peas and mushrooms.

While the sweet corn, carrots and green peas give it a light sweet touch, the capsicum balances a mild spice while mushrooms and broccoli add a nice texture to the dish.

Vegetables In The Baked Vegetables Recipe — Baked Vegetables In White Sauce

Of course you need not stick to these vegetables, you can switch veggies as per your preference. Some people do not like broccoli or mushrooms so its perfectly fine to skip it or replace it with some other veggies.

However be careful not to add something too mushy to the dish as it messes up the texture. Personally I don't like cauliflower or squash in this dish as they have a distinct taste and smell that overpowers other vegetables.

But feel free to experiment and create your own unique Baked Vegetables in White Sauce.

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What is a white sauce?

White sauce is also popularly known as Béchamel sauce and is made from all-purpose flour, butter and milk. It is made by making roux of butter and all purpose flour and adding milk to it.

Now if you are thinking what is a roux, then it is essentially fat and flour cooked together in equal parts and is used to thicken any sauces.

But in this recipe we are not using the typical Béchamel sauce. We are also adding a good amount for cheese to it to make it cheesy. You can skip this part if you are not fond of cheese but adding cheese gives it a thickness, flavor and lifts the richness of recipe.

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Why do you add nutmeg to the white sauce?

Nutmeg provides a exotic, vibrant and aromatic touch to the sauce and has been an integral part of traditional white sauce. If you find the flavor too overpowering you can skip it.

Baked Vegetables In Creamy White Sauce — Baked Vegetables In White Sauce

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Why to use Processed Cheese?

There are two main difference between natural cheese and processed cheese in relevance to Whey and Emulsifier. Natural Cheese has Whey pressed out in the process of making cheese while Processed Cheese does not. Also Processed Cheese has Emulsifier that help to keep the fatty and non fatty ingredients mixed together. Thus even after heating the sauce it will not split or become stringy. You will have a smooth, silky and rich sauce.

Baked Veggies — Baked Vegetables In White Sauce

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Can you make Baked vegetables in white sauce without cheese?

Yes, you can make this recipe without cheese. However if you are skipping cheese then you need to reduce the quantity of milk you add to the sauce. Otherwise you will end up with a runny white sauce.

Also if you are skipping cheese layer on the top, you can instead add a thin layer of bread crumbs. This will give a crisp well browned layer on the top.