This cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole is hands-down one of the best side dishes I’ve ever made. It's packed with tender broccoli and rice, all smothered in a cheesy sauce and topped with crispy Ritz crackers. It is extremely easy to make and ready in one hour. I ate this with a whole roasted chicken, and they went perfectly together.
About This Recipe
This broccoli casserole is one of my new favorite recipes! If you've never had a broccoli rice casserole before, it's basically mac and cheese but with rice and broccoli instead of pasta. The inside is creamy and cheesy, and you have so many fun textures, from the crunchy broccoli to the crispy Ritz cracker topping on top. It's incredibly easy to make and comes together in about one hour.
The history behind this dish goes back to the 1950s and 1960s. I believe that, originally, it was made with canned chicken soup because, at the time, convenience foods were really popping off in the United States. But for this recipe, I made everything from scratch, including the cheese sauce.
Instructions
STEP 1: Boil the broccoli for 2 minutes until it's just tender. Rinse under cold water and drain in a colander.
STEP 2: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour until evenly incorporated. The flour will thicken the sauce when the milk is added.
STEP 3: Add the milk and seasonings, and whisk constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese. If you want the sauce to be thicker, you can cook the sauce for a couple of minutes longer. But personally, I enjoy a looser sauce.
STEP 4: In a large bowl, combine the cheese sauce with the broccoli and cooked rice. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese and Ritz crackers.
STEP 5: Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling up.
Why I use day old rice
Day old rice works the best in my opinion because it has a chewier texture than fresh rice. That said, freshly steamed rice will work fine for this recipe. If you use fresh rice, I would recommend making the rice in advance and letting it air-dry in your fridge for one hour. This will firm up the grains so the casserole is less mushy.
📋 Recipe
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 7 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound; cut larger florets into bite-sized pieces)
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ¼ cups milk
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 cups cooked white rice (preferably 1 day old)
- ⅓ cup crushed Ritz crackers
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately submerge the broccoli in water to cool down. Drain in a colander.
- In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened. Stir in 2 cups of cheddar cheese, black pepper, salt, and dry mustard powder. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the cheese sauce with the broccoli and cooked rice. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and Ritz crackers.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling.
Mary
What is best to use in this recipe fresh broccoli or frozen?
Grump
Both work well, I usually use fresh