California Blend Vegetables with Parmesan Bread Crumbs is a mixture of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower topped with Parmesan bread crumbs. A hint of cayenne brings a touch of heat to this very delicious side dish!
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I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Up until maybe 8-9 years ago, I couldn’t cook to save my life.
Even following a recipe, somehow I would manage to create only an inedible mess that looked nothing like the picture.
I think my mom probably thought I was a lost cause. I can actually remember her saying: “How can you be Italian?” And, just recently, we did find out we are far more Greek than Italian – ha!
I’ve mentioned before that I did follow a strict vegetarian diet for over 10 years.
My meals mostly consisted of rice, beans, pasta, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, of course.
The one meal I did make was this California Blend Vegetables with Parmesan Bread Crumbs recipe. It must be impossible to mess up, because I have never made a bad batch.
I would literally eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The recipe originally started off as something completely different, and over time, I made it my own. I even turned it into California Blend Vegetable Soup too!
Why This Recipe Works
- It makes a great vegetarian main dish, or you can enjoy it as a side dish.
- This is a quick and easy recipe to make all year round.
- You can make this mild or spicy, depending on your own preferences.
How to Make California Blend Vegetables with Parmesan Bread Crumbs
Prep!
Cut the carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower into bite-size pieces.
Melt the butter in the microwave (15-30 seconds usually does the trick) and grate the Parmesan cheese, if necessary.
Tip: cut the vegetables into even bite-size pieces to ensure even cooking.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Create!
Add the vegetables and melted butter to a medium size bowl and stir to coat the vegetables in the butter.
In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper (if using), mix well.
Tip: simply omit the cayenne pepper if you don’t like spicy food or want to make this dish family-friendly.
Add the bread crumbs to the bowl of vegetables. Toss to coat.
NOTE: a lot of the bread crumbs will fall to the bottom of the bowl – we will use these in the next step.
Carefully pour the vegetables into a medium-size baking dish.
Evenly spread the extra bread crumbs from the bottom of the bowl all over the top of the veggies.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender and the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Present!
Serve hot and enjoy!
Tips and Techniques for the Best California Blend Vegetables
- Use fresh vegetables for the best results.
- Butter is not necessarily needed for this recipe. I usually make it without, but the bread crumbs will be drier.
- The measurements for the vegetables are all adjustable to your own preferences.
- Use gluten free bread crumbs to make this dish gluten free.
FAQ’s
- What are California Blend vegetables? California blend vegetables are a combination of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.
- Can you use frozen California Blend vegetables? While fresh is always best for taste and texture, you can use frozen vegetables, if needed.
Other Recipes to Try
- Keto Broccoli Casserole
- Loaded Cauliflower Bites
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts Medley
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California Blend Vegetables with Parmesan Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots * cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups broccoli florets * cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups cauliflower * cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter * melted
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese * grated
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper * optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add the chopped vegetables and melted butter to a medium size bowl.
- Stir to coat the vegetables in the butter.
- In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper (if using). Mix well.
- Add the Parmesan cheese mixture to the bowl of vegetables and mix well.
- Pour the vegetables into a medium-size baking dish, evenly spreading any extra bread crumbs from the bottom of the bowl all over the top of the veggies.
- Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender and the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Notes
Tips and Techniques for the Best California Blend Vegetables
- Use fresh vegetables for the best results.
- Butter is not necessarily needed for this recipe. I usually make it without, but the bread crumbs will be drier.
- The measurements for the vegetables are all adjustable to your own preferences.
- Use gluten free bread crumbs to make this dish gluten free.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on September 5, 2018. It was updated with new images, more thorough instructions, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in August 2019.
Kayleen says
Freaking brilliant!!! I’ve been looking everywhere to try and find a good vegetable side dish. I don’t know why it never dawned on me to do this! I’ll be making this Sunday.
Lauren Vavala says
Hope you love it!
Bob says
Do you think I could substitute cheddar cheese instead?
Lauren Vavala says
Hi Bob, I think using cheddar cheese will work out just fine. Obviously the flavor will be a bit different but I like cheddar on veggies too 🙂
– Lauren
Abigail says
Can you add mushrooms to this dish??
Lauren Vavala says
Hi Abigail! I’ve never added mushrooms to this recipe and I don’t recall any feedback that anyone else has, but I really don’t see why you couldn’t. If you give it a try, please let us know how it works out 🙂
– Lauren
Teena says
Love this dish and have made it several times always using fresh veggies. I’m in a bind today and if I were to use frozen vegetables would they need to be thawed before baking?
Lauren Vavala says
Sorry Teena! My spam filter is a beast and I am just now seeing this in the mix. You can use frozen veggies to make this (my mom always does). You will either want to defrost them first or increase the bake time. I’d lean more towards defrosting first so that you don’t potentially burn the breadcrumbs if it takes too much extra time to heat through.
Hope it works out just as great for you!!
Lauren
Lynn says
I made this for Easter with Birdseye Normandy blend. I thawed them in the fridge and let the water run off overnight into a collander inside a bowl. I used crumbled Ritz crackers instead of Panko. It was a hit. I’m making it again tomorrow for a church potluck.
Ashley says
Can you make this in the instant pot too?
Lauren Vavala says
Hi Ashley. I’m not sure an Instant Pot would work very well for this recipe as a whole. Since you need liquid in the pot for it to work, you could really only cook the veggies in there and would still have to transfer it to a baking dish to top with bread crumbs and bake until crispy.
Hope this helps some.
– Lauren
Joyce Gonzalez says
I love your recipe! A side dish we use every year for Thanksgiving!
Lauren Vavala says
Thank you soooo much!!
Natalie says
This looks delicious but I will probably substitute the cayenne for Italian seasoning cause I don’t like spicy foods.
Georgie says
This would make a great side dish for Thanksgiving!!!
Lauren says
I agree – it’s so easy to make too!
Danielle says
I am always looking for new veggie packed dishes to try and this is now next on my list.
Lauren says
Hope you love it!
Maria says
Roasted vegetables are always so delicious this time of year! Such a vibrant dish.
Lauren says
Thanks Maria!
Michelle says
I love this, I could easily have this as a main meal. I’ve just gone back to a vegetarian diet and this will be perfect for a quick and easy dinner.
Lauren says
I used to it as the main meal all the time!
Lisa Bryan says
Such an easy way to spruce up a veggie side dish – love it!
Lauren says
Thanks Lisa!