Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Millet Bake

I have used millet in breads for several years, pancakes for several months and baby cereal occasionally. Aside from mostly use in baked goods, it hadn't made its way onto our table until last week. I tried millet for breakfast using this recipe from Edible Perspective. I wasn't wowed enough to blog it myself to keep the recipe, but I may make it again. If it wows me more, then I'll post it here for future findings. It did keep me fairly full until lunch, which is sometimes a tricky thing for me.

I was intrigued, though, by this recipe from A Couple Cooks, so I made it last week as well. This will be a repeated recipe, perhaps with some cooked chicken tossed in for extra protein. The original recipe appears to come from Naturally Ella.

Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Millet Bake
8 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups millet, cooked (Master Recipe: Millet)
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup milk
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut the broccoli into small florets. In a bowl, combine the broccoli with olive oil, salt and   pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice 3 cloves garlic. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium low heat. Add the garlic, and saute for about 1 minute. Add cup milk, thyme, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly. (Turn up the heat slightly if the cheese does not melt at first, but be careful not to overheat.)

When the broccoli is roasted, turn down the oven temperature to 400°F. Pour the millet into a large casserole dish. Add roasted broccoli, pour in sauce and add a bit of the shredded cheese (making sure to reserve some for the top). Stir to thoroughly combine, making sure to combine all millet with sauce and cheese. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Bake for 15 minutes until warm.