I don’t know about you, but in my house Thanksgiving is basically synonymous with lots of amazing casseroles. And broccoli rice casserole (also called broccoli rice soufflé depending on what part of the south you’re in) ranks up there with macaroni and cheese in terms of dishes I LOVED when I was a kid. There was a restaurant called Black Eyed Pea (sadly all the Georgia locations closed down years ago) where we used to go after church on Sundays, and I could not inhale their broccoli rice casserole fast enough. I would eat the whole bowl before even touching my chicken or other vegetables. Something about this flavor combo just makes the most perfect comfort food.
You know what time it is. Health swap time. So of course I ditched the condensed soup and “cheese product” and made my sauce from scratch with sharp cheddar cheese. I also used brown rice instead of white (you can hardly tell in a recipe like this because of all the other stuff going on in the dish) for more nutrition. And of course lots of broccoli!
I just ate a big bowl of this for lunch and it is the boooommmb.
- 4 c. broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
- 5 c. cooked brown rice
- 3 T. butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 T. flour
- 3 c. milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Microwave the broccoli florets in a bowl with 1/4 c. of water for 3 minutes, or until the florets are cooked through. Set aside.
- Heat the butter and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter is bubbling.
- Add in the flour and whisk quickly for about a minute to make a roux (the paste should start to turn golden brown).
- Slowly add in the first cup of milk, whisking constantly, until everything is incorporated (there will still be some lumps because of the garlic) and starts to thicken.
- Pour in the rest of the milk and the eggs. Whisk quickly to thoroughly incorporate.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened.
- Add 1 1/2 c. of the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the broccoli florets, rice, and cheese sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Pour mixture into a large casserole dish and top with the remaining 1/2 c. of cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and starts to brown.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
You’re gonna want this on your Thanksgiving table! Especially if you’re going to be serving kids, this will be a hit. The ingredients are also really affordable which makes it a triple win!
I’ve still got a couple more Thanksgiving recipes to share, so come back soon! You already follow me on Facebook so you can get updated when I post new content, right? If for some crazy reason you’re not, go click that button! 🙂
-Lauren
Nikki @ The Road to Less Cake
I love the sound of a rice based casserole. I can’t eat cow’s milk but I’m sure I could sub the cheddar for goat’s cheese and the butter for olive oil.