The BEST Carrot Casserole Recipe

This carrot casserole recipe combines cheese, butter, breadcrumbs, and carrots to create one of the most delicious side dishes of all time. Honestly, it's so decadent and delicious that even the pickiest of eaters will get excited over this dish. And it's just so, so easy to make. In fact, just 3 simple steps are all you need to follow to make it. So, the next time you need a quick, easy, and delicious side dish to serve at dinner, look no further than this carrot casserole.

The Best Carrot Casserole

Now, I know I'm biased, but I think the best way to eat carrots is by using them to make this baked carrot casserole. Don't get me wrong, carrots are good served other ways - these honey glazed candied carrots are proof of that - but I don't think anything comes close to this easy casserole recipe.

Seriously, it's just so good!

The tender cooked carrots get baked into a tangy, creamy sauce, then topped with a generous amount of cheese and crunchy bread crumbs. And it all gets baked to perfection. The resulting dish is a savory, slightly sweet, and ridiculously decadent casserole everyone will love! Well, atleast everyone always loves it when I make it at my house, so I think that'll be the case at yours too.

Now, the crazy part about this cheesy carrot casserole recipe is that you can make it with some pretty basic ingredients, and the entire dish is ready in under 45 minutes. And don't worry, more than half of that time is just waiting for the casserole to bake in the oven.

Plus, as I mentioned earlier, this is a great recipe to serve for a big dinner! It really makes the ideal side dish for things like this southern meatloaf and Italian chicken cutlets. So next time you're hosting or need something to make for a holiday celebration, this baked carrot casserole has you covered. 

Ingredients

As I mentioned above, this is a pretty simple recipe made with simple ingredients. Honestly, you might already have all the ingredients you'll need to make this baked carrot casserole right in your kitchen!

Anyway, here's everything you'll need to make this carrot casserole recipe:

• 3 tbsp. Butter
• ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups Half and Half Milk
• 2 tbsp. Mustard
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• ½ tsp. Coriander
• 3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
• Fresh parsley to serve (optional)

Pretty simple stuff, right?

Ingredient Substitutions And Modifications

When it comes to carrots, I highly recommend using fresh large carrots. That being said, feel free to mix up the colors of carrots. And if all you have are baby carrots, those should work too. 

As for the sauce, if you want an even richer cheese sauce, then feel free to add a little extra shredded cheese right into the sauce mixture. Oh, and you can switch up the type of cheese you use. I think sharp cheddar cheese works best, but feel free to use any cheese, like shredded mozzarella or parmesan.

Lastly, when it comes to the bread crumbs, I usually prefer either regular bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs, or if I'm feeling an extra crunch, I'll use crushed Ritz crackers. The Ritz crackers add more of a  buttery flavor, like in this million dollar chicken casserole.

How To Make Carrot Casserole

Now it's time to have some fun and make this carrot casserole! As I mentioned above, it's surprisingly easy to make this dish. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps, and you'll have this casserole baking in no time.

By the way, you can definitely double up this recipe without adding any additional time. So, if you've got a large number of people to feed - say for like Thanksgiving or the holidays - definitely don't hesitate to make more.

With that said, let's stop wasting time and get into how to make carrot casserole!

Step 1: Make The Cream Sauce

First things first, you'll want to preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC). Then, you can grab your favorite casserole dish - or baking dish - and prepare it by greasing the surface with either butter or oil.

Next, you can make the cream sauce. To do that, heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add the butter and flour to it. Let this cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until a roux form. A roux is basically a thick paste that will help thicken the sauce and make for a richer consistency.

Once you have your roux, add in the half and half,mustard, onion powder, coriander, salt, and pepper. Now let everything cook for about 10 minutes, or until it thickens and resembles a rich cream sauce texture.

Step 2: Build The Casserole

So, now that your creamy sauce is nice and thick, you'll want to pour it into your prepared baking dish.

Next, layer the sauce with your sliced carrots and then top it with more sauce. By the way, if you're using a smaller baking dish, then you may want to layer the cream sauce and sliced carrots until you run out of both.

Anyway, to finish it off, you'll want to cover the top layer of carrots with the cheddar cheese, followed by the bread crumbs.

Step 3: Bake And Serve

So, now that the casserole is complete, you can put it in the oven and bake it for about 25-30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Also, I recommend checking the carrots and making sure they are fork-tender too, before removing the casserole from the oven.

Finally, serve your baked carrot casserole with fresh parsley on top, and enjoy!

How To Store Carrot Casserole

This recipe for baked carrot casserole makes about 6 side-dish-sized portions. But, of course, this will depend on how many other sides you're serving. Also, I would expect that everyone will want seconds, so all the more reason to make a double batch!

Now, if you have any leftovers of this carrot casserole, it's super easy to store them. You can either wrap the entire casserole dish tightly in plastic wrap and store the whole thing in the fridge, or you can put the leftovers in an airtight container and store 'em in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

By the way, if you want to store this carrot casserole for even longer, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.

How To Reheat Carrot Casserole

Now, you have a couple of options when it comes to reheating your carrot casserole.

I recommend either placing your leftovers in a preheated oven set to 350°F for about 10-12 minutes or microwaving them in 30-second increments until thoroughly warm.

With that said, if you're reheating the frozen casserole, you'll want to heat it in the oven for about double the time. 

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make carrot casserole!

Even if you don't love carrots, you might surprise yourself with how much you love this cheesy carrot casserole. Seriously, of all the carrot recipes I've tried, this is hands down one of the easiest - and most crowd-pleasing ones - out there

Anyway, I hope you like this baked carrot casserole as much as my family and I do. If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment below and tell us how it went!

More Casserole Recipes

If you love easy casserole recipes - and are looking for some more delicious ones just like this one - we have a ton on the blog you can try next! 

Check these out:

• Corn casserole
• Chicken divan
• Philly Cheesesteak casserole
• Crack chicken casserole
• Sausage green bean potato casserole

Also, be sure to follow along on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for even more tasty tastiness. We post new recipes on them every single day.

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