Cheesy (Rainbow) Carrot Casserole

This recipe can be made with regular orange carrots or jazz it up by using rainbow carrots! It's a prefect side dish and kid approved! Ingredients with an asterisk (*) are available seasonally right here in North Iowa! Click on select ingredients to find them nearby or stop by your local farmer’s market.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 306 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Casserole Dish
  • 1 Saucepan

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup onion* diced
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 12 carrots* large, sliced into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup bread crumbs or ritz crackers

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350*F
  • Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and set aside.
  • Steam carrots until 1/2 way cooked. You want them to be soft enough to bite but still with a bit of a crunch. They'll finish cooking in the oven.
  • As carrots are steaming, in a saucepan combine butter and onion. Cook until onions are soft and translucent.
  • Add flour, salt, mustard and pepper and mix well to create a paste.
  • Slowly add 1/4 cup of milk at a time whisking continually until all the milk has been added to pan. You are making a basic roux. The mixture will thicken quite a bit at first but slowly thin out. If you add all the milk at once you'll have a clumpy mess, so only add 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well.
  • Cook for 5 minutes then turn off burner and add cheese. Mix well until cheese is melted and combined.
  • When carrots are cooked half way, place carrots on the bottom of the casserole dish.
  • Pour cheese mixture on top of carrots ensuring you cover carrots completely.
  • Sprinkle bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers on top of sauce and bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 9gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 660mgPotassium: 446mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 15881IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 237mgIron: 1mg
Keyword carrots, onion