Broccoli Rice Casserole
Broccoli Rice Casserole is a hearty and delicious addition to any dinner. The classic casserole side dish with rice, broccoli and a cheesy sauce. A great side dish made with just a few pantry ingredients.
Broccoli rice casserole is always a hit and I just almost always have the ingredients on hand. It’s one of the side dishes that our whole family can agree on.
How to Make Broccoli Rice Casserole:
- Add chopped onions to a skillet with olive oil and cook until onions are softened.
- Stir in cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of shredded cheese, milk, chopped water chestnuts, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Add cooked rice, cooked broccoli and sauce to a casserole dish, stir together and smooth the top.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until casserole is heated through.
Recipe Variations:
I love how simply this broccoli casserole is to make and it’s super easy to adjust to the ingredients you have on hand.
- Use cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup or broccoli cheese soup.
- Skip the can soup and use 1 teaspoon of chicken base (or a bullion cube) with 1 cup of heavy cream, increase milk to 1 1/2 cups total.
- A combination of cauliflower and broccoli.
- Add cooked carrots, celery or zucchini in addition to the broccoli.
- Use farro in place of the rice.
- Try smoked gouda, Swiss or colby cheese.
- Replace the French fried onions with 1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs mixed with 2 tablespoons of melted butter or crushed Ritz crackers.
- Toasted sliced almonds are also a great addition to this casserole.
How to Cook Rice:
I love to make extra rice anytime we are having it for dinner. It is great to have on hand to stretch leftovers or to use in a casserole. I always buy long grain white rice but use what you have on hand.
To cook rice add 1 part rice to 2 parts water, bring to a boil. Cover and lower to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside 5 minutes.
How to Cook Broccoli:
Use fresh or frozen broccoli for this recipe. To cook either, heat a pan of boiling water. Add broccoli florets and cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until heated through. Drain well.
How to Store and Reheat:
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container up to 3 days in refrigerator. Reheat casserole by adding a couple of tablespoons of water or milk to a skillet. Add casserole and place over medium heat. Stir frequently until heated through.
You might also like this easy Mushroom Rice for a quick and easy side dish that goes with just about every meal and another vegetarian favorite is our Zucchini Lasagna.
[mv_create key=”888″ layout=”grid” thumbnail=”https://28-gloryq1.store/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Greek-Salad-Photo-H.jpg%E2%80%9D title=”Easy Side Dishes” type=”list”]This is a great pantry recipe, perfect when you are running low on ingredients or have leftovers to use up.
I just had a can of soup on hand and a few French fried onions from the last time I made green bean casserole and they made this casserole super simple. The flavors bake together for a delicious side dish that you can throw together really quickly.
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 8 oz can water chestnuts drained and chopped
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 pound cooked broccoli florets
- 2 cups French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Add olive oil to a skillet with onions and cook over medium- high heat until onions are softened.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream of mushroom soup, milk, 1 cup of cheese, chopped water chestnuts, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Roughly chop cooked broccoli.
- Add cooked rice to a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with broccoli and cheese sauce. Mix until well combined.
- Spread rice mixture evenly.
- Top with remaining cheese and fried onions.
- Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until heated through.