Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin

Here's a veggie side dish I contributed to the Vechinski family Thanksgiving.   I merged a couple recipes I found online to come up with this veggie casserole.   I chose to use fresh vegetables and roast/steam them before adding them to the casserole, but I suppose you could just use frozen packages to make things faster and easier.   Everyone seemed to really like it.  When you notice people taking a second helping of a vegetable dish, it must be good. :)

Roasted Cauliflower and Steamed Broccoli Gratin

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower head (~2&1/2 lbs), cut into florets
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1&1/4 cups lowfat milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or sharp cheddar or whatever)
Topping:
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Spread cauliflower florets onto baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to evenly coat.  Roast for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for another 15 minutes until the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower roasts, place the broccoli in a steamer basket fitted over a large saucepan with boiling water.  Cover and steam broccoli until crisp-tender, about 5-6 minutes.

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper.  Add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add cheeses and cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Turn off heat, add the roasted cauliflower and steamed broccoli, and toss gently to coat.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart (8x8") baking dish.   To make topping, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and Italian seasoning.  Sprinkle over cheesy vegetable mixture.   Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheesy is bubbly.

Note:  Unbaked casserole may be prepared a day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate, then bake as directed.