Who doesn’t love Broccoli Cheese Casserole?? This cozy homemade version doesn’t contain any canned “cream of” soup and still comes together super fast and easy. Broccoli cheese casserole is a comfort food classic that is great as a Thanksgiving side, or just a tasty addition to dinner any night of the week. Plus, it’s a great way to use up leftover rice from the night before!
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If you didn’t grow up on broccoli cheese casserole, you’re missing out! this super rich and cream casserole combines tender broccoli with cooked rice, a super cheesy sauce, and plenty of seasoning so that every bite is packed with flavor. But this isn’t just any broccoli cheese casserole, we’ve skipped the condensed canned soup and made our sauce 100% from scratch. But don’t worry, I promise it’s still easy!
Want to make it a full meal instead of a side dish? Try our cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole!
Ingredients for Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own homemade broccoli cheese casserole:
- Broccoli: We used frozen broccoli florets because it’s super convenient. Not only is it already chopped (yay!), but it’s also partially cooked, which makes the whole casserole come together so much faster.
- Cooked Rice: Like fried rice, pre-cooked and chilled rice works best for this recipe because it absorbs more of the flavor from the sauce and prevents it doesn’t get mushy. If you don’t have rice on hand that is already cooked, allow time to cook some rice and allow it to cool before making this recipe. To cool your cooked rice faster, spread it out onto a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator. The large surface area will help it cool quickly.
- Cheddar Cheese: This is the “cheese” in the “cheese casserole”! Avoid using mild cheddar as it won’t give as much flavor to your casserole. Aim for medium or sharp cheddar instead.
- Garlic & Onion: Sautéed fresh garlic and onion give the casserole a deep savory base flavor.
- Butter & Flour: Butter and flour combine to create a roux that thickens the cheese sauce.
- Milk: Whole milk is the base for the creamy cheese sauce in the casserole. While you can use a lower fat milk, it will definitely affect the flavor and richness of the casserole.
- Seasoning: The casserole is seasoned simply with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper so the flavor of the broccoli and cheese can take the main stage.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
Yes! I’ve made this broccoli cheese casserole recipe using both brown and white rice and it’s delightful either way. Since you’re measuring the rice after it has been cooked, no adjustments need to be made to the recipe below if you plan to use brown rice. Brown rice gives this broccoli casserole a slightly nutty flavor and a little bit more texture.
Can Broccoli Cheese Casserole Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can assemble this broccoli cheese casserole up to one day ahead of time, keeping it refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Because the casserole will be chilled when going into the oven, you may need to add an extra 20-30 minutes to the cooking time to make sure the casserole is heated through.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.99)
- 4 cups cooked rice (white or brown) ($0.67)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($1.69)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.42)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.75)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen broccoli, then chop it into smaller pieces. Add the chopped broccoli to a large bowl along with the cooked rice and about 1.5 cups of the shredded cheese (save the last ½ cup for topping the casserole).
- Begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- Add the butter, onion, and garlic to a small saucepot and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (2-3 minutes). Add the flour and stir until a paste forms. Continue to stir and cook the paste for about two minutes, or just until it turns a light golden brown.
- Whisk the milk into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk the mixture as it heats, allowing it to reach a simmer, at which point it will thicken to the consistency of heavy cream. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Season the sauce with the salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, and pepper. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning if desired. The sauce should be heavily seasoned because it will be spread out over the broccoli and rice, which contain no seasoning of their own.
- Pour the sauce over the rice, broccoli, and cheese, and stir until everything is evenly coated in sauce. Spread the casserole mixture evenly into a 9×9 inch casserole dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheddar.
- Bake the casserole for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and is slightly browned around the edges. Divide into six portions and serve.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Looking for a low-carb alternative? Check out my Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Casserole.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Casserole – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Thaw one pound of frozen broccoli florets, then chop them into smaller pieces.
Add the chopped broccoli to a large bowl along with four cups cooked and cooled rice, and 6 oz. (1.5 cups) shredded cheddar cheese. Save the remaining ½ cup cheddar to top the casserole.
Stir the broccoli, rice, and cheese together until evenly combined, then set them aside.
Next, begin the white sauce. Finely dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a saucepot with 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour to the cooked onions and garlic. Continue to stir and cook for about a minute more. The flour will form a paste with the butter.
Pour two cups of whole milk into the saucepot and whisk until all the flour is dissolved into the milk. Continue to stir and cook until the milk begins to gently simmer, at which point it will thicken to the consistency of heavy cream.
Season the white sauce with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, and ⅛ tsp black pepper. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasoning if you prefer (it should be heavily seasoned).
Pour the white sauce into the bowl with the broccoli, rice, and cheddar, then stir to combine.
Transfer the broccoli rice mixture to a casserole dish (about 9×9 inches) and then add the remaining shredded cheddar on top.
Bake the broccoli cheese casserole for 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted on top and it’s browned around the edges.
Serve hot and enjoy that cozy comfort!
This was very good. I added extra salt to the sauce, but it did come out somewhat bland. Nothing some hot sauce couldn’t fix! I added some chopped rotisserie chicken to make it dinner.
Great! But I did make a couple changes. A larger pan and had to sub in onion powder. Also, I feel more sauce would be better for next time.
I successfully made this according to the recipe and everyone liked it. But I’m not crazy about pepper being the dominant seasoning flavor of the finished dish. Can you suggest other spice choices that would put a different spin on it but still pair well with broccoli?
4 cups of rice and 1 lb. of broccoli did not come close to fitting in a 9 x 9 pan. It also was too much for the casserole sauce.
Fantastic recipe! I used less cheese & added cauliflower & bacon. It was hard not to eat the entire casserole all by myself! I’ll definitely be making this recipe again! ❤️
Broccoli cheese casserole and I use sour cream?
Can I use almond milk instead of regular milk?
I wouldn’t suggest almond milk for this one because it’s not nearly as creamy as dairy milk.
I used almond milk & it turned out fantastic!
Delicious comfort food! I doubled the seasoning and also added 1tsp chicken bouillon, garlic and onion powder. Great flavor and my picky 19 year old loved it
Pleas give nutritional information.
Hi Thomas, the nutrition information is at the bottom of the recipe card. :)
Can I make this with cooked pasta instead of rice?
That would probably work!
Delicious recipe. One of our favorites. We like to switch up the spices – sub curry powder for the smoked paprika and cayenne.
This has been a staple in our dinner rotation with a couple changes.
I adapted this for the instant pot and subbed in your nacho cheese recipe to use evaporated milk instead of the rue. I use uncooked rice, fresh uncooked broccoli, bacon bits, and add chicken broth for the additional liquid needed to cook the rice. Don’t get the crispy bits but that can be remedied by putting some in a ramekin under the broiler for a couple minutes.
It required a larger dish, 11×9 but it worked fine. I added about 1 cup of sliced, cooked chicken and it worked great and was delicious.
Unfortunately, nor I nor my family were very impressed with this recipe.
We adore broccoli, but something about being baked in with rice just created this God-awful bitterness that was hard to stomach. The recipe is definitely much too under seasoned… I had to add 4x as much seasoning before it started being flavorful.
The instructions were super clear and easy to follow. We loved the cheese on top, at least! This is just not one we’d try again.
Honestly, without the broccoli this could’ve been completely fine. Not sure what else I could substitute the broccoli for, though!
This is the best broccoli cheese casserole ever. I have tasted others and they are nothing compared to this one. My family asks for it all the time now and it is so delicious I just can’t believe it thank you for sharing this recipe
Just made this today, it turned out very well. One bit of advice, the recipe says to over season, absolutely over season. I didn’t and it came out pretty bland. Definitely making again.
Yeah, I generally double seasoning amounts in any recipe. But I’m a glutton for spice. :)
Looks amazing! Adding to my meal plan for next week!
We make this all the time!
I double the recipe and make two small batches and one large batch. I freeze at least two of the batches prior to baking. To bake them, I let unthought in the fridge for a day. If it’s jiggly then it’s ready to bake and I proceed with the baking instructions.
We love to sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top of ours!
This is my go-to me off for bringing a meal to a needy family.
I also add shredded chicken.
This was surprisingly good! I added about a pound of cooked ground beef along with a cube of chicken boullion mixed into the sauce, and omitted the onion as I was out. I was initially worried because the rice mix didn’t look as “dry” as it does in the photos, but it ended up being perfect. I can see this recipe being extremely versatile and I’ll definitely be making it again.
Wow this was delicious! My husband and I loved it! I was concerned with the flavor of the sauce because it seemed a little off however it was the perfect combination with the brocolli and rice! I did almost double the seasoning as that was just what tasted right to me, but this recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Delicious! I cooked 1-1/2 cups of rice, so we would have plenty. We had 4 cups fresh broccoli that I boiled for 5 minutes. I added 1-1/2 cups of ham that we had in the freezer from Christmas. 3 adults loved it! It did fill a 9 by 13 pan. I still baked for 35 minutes. Ham wasn’t all the way defrosted, so I did warm it up in the microwave before adding it to the pan. We just happened to have all the ingredients in the house.
Can this casserole be made ahead of time and frozen?
If so, how long would I need to let it dethaw for or can it go straight into the oven?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I can’t offer any specific advice for thawing and reheating.
Could I use fresh broccoli in this recipe?
Yes, but you may want to steam or blanch the broccoli first just to make sure it is tender enough after baking with the rice.
I must admit, I’m a little confused as to why it is necessary to dirty an extra bowl when everything could be mixed in the 9 x 13 baking dish? This recipe looks very good, though!
I find it easier to mix in a deep bowl with high sides compared to a wide shallow dish, but you could certainly do it whichever way you prefer. :)
I absolutely love this casserole and it’s a great main dish for a vegetarian meal on occasion. Easy peasy and no fail. I’ve made it a half dozen times in the last few months.
This was excellent! I cut the recipe in half and made it in a 9×9 pan. I could have added more cheese on top to make it even cheesier but it was great anyway. I will definitely make it again.
We loved this! I added about 10 oz diced ham with the broccoli and rice. Definitely a keeper recipe. I did use 3 cups of cooked brown rice, instead of 4, and kept all the other ingredients the same and it still made 6 servings. Thank you!
This was awesome! I added some seasoning to the rice/broccoli in addition to the sauce. I used almond milk and the sauce was a little runnier, but flavor was great. Love that I had all the ingredients on hand and it uses frozen broccoli and pantry staples. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe. I think the prep and cook time listed here are incorrect. Prep is a few minutes, not 30. And the recipe calls for 35 minutes in the oven not 40.
Thanks for catching that! Yes, prep time was a typo. Cook time was right, though, because in addition to the 35 minutes of baking time you have to do some cooking when making the sauce. :)
Delicious! I used 1% milk in the sauce (what I had on hand) and used cooked farro instead of rice. I loved it! The sauce took a little time for me to make, but it makes a lot and we’ll have leftovers for a few days.
Delicious recipe! Much better than that stuff in a box. If you have leftover rice, this is a great use for it. Yhanks!
I hate to be the grump of the comments but this just was not that good for us. It lacked alot of flavor and in the end I found myself missing the condensed soup. My toddler loved it though but it is not going to make our normal rotation.
Second time I made this (yum!) but I’m flying solo now and only have a 9″ pie dish. So I added some panko to what was left and made patties, and coated in more panko. I’m freezing them and hope they come out okay baked from frozen. Any advice on time and temp baking them is much appreciated!
Easy and delicious! The only changed I made was I added a little garlic powder to the sauce just because we like garlic. I love having pantry staples around for days like today where we got snowed in.
Made it but since I had extra broccoli I used a bigger pan and added more cheese. It was delicious!
It makes so much for two can you freeze before cooking
Made this today and it was very filling and yummy. I accidentally used 4 cups of uncooked rice. *facepalm* ….so now I’ll be thinking of some fun other uses for rice for the next few days. :)
Made this today with leftover brown rice and quinoa instead of white rice. Came out very good! I would be curious to make it with a combination of brown rice and cauliflower rice next time.
I only have skim regular milk on hand.
Can I use Carnation evaporated milk for this?
It works fine in scalloped potatoes.
Unfortunately, I’ve never tried to use evaporated milk for a sauce like this so I can’t advise on how it would turn out.
If I wanted to add shredded chicken to this, how much would you suggest I add for a good ratio with the current recipe? Thanks!
Hmm, maybe 1-2 cups just depending on how much you like.
I made this according to the recipe, but added a bit more of the spices. It turned out so well! Definitely a keeper!
Hi Beth,
Always enjoy your recipes! Can I bake this in a 13×9 casserole dish?
That might be a bit too large for this amount of casserole. I haven’t tried it, but it will probably bake faster if spread out thin in a larger dish. :)
We’ve made this often since it was first posted. Our adaption has been to use brown rice (1 cup raw = 3 cups cooked and that lesser amount still works well). We also add in chopped mushrooms and red bell pepper and use various cheeses. It makes for a colorful and filling casserole as a side for dinner and as quick lunches easily reheated all on its own later on. The smoked paprika makes this dish and we add a bit more than the recipe calls for.
So I made this with the following changes: halved the recipe, used 1/2 riced cauliflower and 1/2 brown basmati rice (113g of each), used mostly full fat sharp cheddar but 21g of reduced fat sharp cheddar, used unsweetened almond milk and upped the spices per the instructions. This made SIX servings. When halved! I could have probably done 5 and they’d be more filling but 3 servings would have been way too large. I ate this as a side dish, maybe the suggested serving is for a main? It’s possibly a bit “watery” but it tastes delicious.
Awesome! It was delicious and easy to make. THANK YOU for this recipe! Most others are bland but this one did Not disappoint.
I made this wonderful dish for Thanksgiving this year. Use the converter to make it for a group of 10. I had enough material 4 2- 9 X 9 casserole dishes, and 1- 3 X 3 casserole deep dish. It may be because of the increase in portions, but it did take me over 1 hours to prep everything before putting the casserole in the oven to bake.
After the Thanksgiving dinner , I still walked away with 1-3/4 of the 9 by 9 casserole dishes, and the small 3 by 3. I’m still eating off the casserole that I made. But definitely, when I prepare this next time, I’m reducing the ingredients by half.
Can you use half and half instead of milk (I don’t buy either much but happen to have half and half in the house from another recipe) and if yes would it still be 2 cups or use less?
Yes, you can. It will be even more deliciously rich. :) I would use the same amount.
We’re moving and trying to use up all the ingredients in our pantry. Made this tonight so I didn’t have to make a trip to the grocery store and it was a huge success! I used a pound of frozen broccoli and some leftover rice my husband made the night before. Threw some sour cream into the sauce because I had some I needed to use up! Put it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end. Will be eating tasty leftover for the rest of the week!
Beth, your recipes are the best: easy to follow and to modify. Thanks for making me more confident in the kitchen!
This would be really good with 4-6 strips of bacon, chopped and fried crisp. Just a thought… I saved the recipe and will be making this soon!
Made this tonight and every one loved it.
I added chopped chicken and subbed a bit of Parmesan cheese for the shredded. It is a really flexible recipe and is going into my rotation 👍🏻
A little dry. Maybe because I used fresh instead of frozen broccoli?
Sorry to hear that Mellissa! Yes it’s hard to say what happened without going through step by step. But fresh over frozen shouldn’t make too much of a difference.
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I suspect that it would freeze well.
Can this be put together the day before & baked the next day?
Yes it certainly can!
Anyone know how the recipe would turn out without the rice? Thanks
I haven’t tried that, but the only issue I can think of off the top of my head that you might run into is that the broccoli will release moisture as its cooked and without the rice there to absorb it, the end product might be a bit soupy.
Delicious!!! Added more salt than required but it was a big hit for Thanksgiving!
Thanks Laura!
5 Stars! This is my second time making this recipe and it’s super simple and so yummy! I used fresh broccoli and brown rice and I find the consistency to be a slightly less mushy than frozen broccoli/ white rice. It stood up very well to freezing and reheating. Next time I will have to make two pans!
I am making this for a make ahead meal. What was your reheating directions? (Temp/time/covered or uncover?) thanks!
Made the recipe exactly as written and it was delicious. Happy family!
Super easy and delicious! I add nutritional yeast to the sauce and seasoning to the rice and it gives it even more cheesy depth. I love this recipe. Easy to personalize, too.
The measurements didn’t come out right, even though I followed the recipe exactly. The ratio of bechamel sauce to rice was not enough and I needed to add triple the amount of seasoning than what the recipe called for just to get any flavor added. It was super bland. I’m going to try it again another time but make the necessary changes so that it comes out correctly.
I made this casserole for a family dinner on Easter and it came out really good! I used a few different ingredients like half and half and yellow rice and still, the dish was really tasty and cheesy! My husband loves it and I’ll continue to make this moving forward. AWESOME recipe and easy to follow!
This recipe is 5 stars! I made it last night and it came out perfect. I edited the recipe slightly by using 3 cups of rice instead of 4, only because the rice recipe I use yields 3-cups, I used fresh broccoli and I cooked it at 400 instead of 350. I ended up covering it for the last 15 minutes because of the higher heat, and it ended up being wonderful. My husband was SO happy with it, I will definitely make it again!
I made this last night – used fresh broccoli which added a little crunch and split the cheese 1/2 sharp cheddar, 1/2 white cheddar with jalapeños and added a can of chicken breast meat -delicious!
Loved this! Question: can you freeze this dish?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I suspect that it would freeze well.
Wanted to try this tonight. Was wondering if almond milk would be okay to substitute for milk? I went through a bunch of comments but didn’t see anyone say they have tried it.
In my personal opinion, I don’t think almond milk would be creamy enough.
In a pinch, I have used both almond milk and even coconut milk and even a combo of the two. Both have been fine for us. (Of course some may not like it.)
Would this work with elbow noddles? Thanks.
That’s something I’d probably need to test to be sure, but my best guess is that it would work with cooked elbow macaroni.
I don’t normally make posts but I felt the need. I’ve made this recipe several times. It’s great for meal prepping! 6 servings = Mon, Wed and Fri lunch or dinner for 2. I use a 9×13 casserole dish; a smaller dish isn’t big enough. Filling and very tasty. Thanks for the recipe Beth, it’s a go to favorite👍
Normally I dont post comments but this is a favorite in our household! We’ve made it a few times and always add ham – it gives it some extra flavor. Highly recommend the sauce, its delicious!
Can I make this the night before and stick in the oven the next day?
Yes, that will probably work. :) You may need to extend the cooking time slightly since everything will be fully chilled when it goes into the oven, though.
Well, if nothing else, this recipe has given an awesome bechamel step. Will post again when it’s done…
I make this all the time, and it’s delicious.
Get out your biggest casserole dish, though, because a 9×9 is not going to cut it. A gargantuan bowl is helpful, but you can mix it up in the casserole dish if you don’t have one.
Extra cheese makes this dish better. You can also use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika if someone doesn’t like the smoked in your house.
Loved this! I used fresh broccoli and didn’t blanch it first. Also 3 cups of rice was perfect. One more thing, I accidentally put in a bag of pepper jack and colby cheese!! It gave it a little kick! Delicious!
I used fresh blanched broccoli and cauliflower, added some diced peppers, omitted 2 cups of rice, used gluten free flour blend. Delicious.
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I would guess that it freezes okay.
This was great. I used fresh broccoli and baked for 30 min. Came out perfect.
This is a terrible recipe. Casserole was “watery on bottom”, “No Taste” made enough for 10 people.
I’m glad others enjoyed it but I would never use this recipe again.
This was really good. I agree with the comment that says 4 cups of rice is too much – I used 3 cups and it was perfect. I used fresh broccoli; I didn’t pre-cook it, but chopped it into small pieces to ensure it would cook enough. We thought the cheese on top was a little too much (personal preference), so next time I will omit that.
Great recipe, this is definitely one of our go-to’s for dinner/leftovers. One suggestion I would make is 4 cups of rice is way too much. I used only 3 and that was still a lot. I would recommend 2-3 cups ofrice, or if you do use 4, double your broccoli and sauce amounts. Also an extra seasoning we use is this creole chef mix. Delish!
I would it hurt to mix this up the day before and. Bake the next day?
That will probably work well. :)
Made this last night and add chopped rotisserie chicken from the store. I’ve always made this before using canned soup but I took the time to make the sauce in your recipe (which was difficult with a 2 year old who wanted to do the stirring, add the salt, etc) and it was so worth it. The homemade taste really comes through. I even forgot to get fresh garlic so used garlic powder and it tasted great,
I absolutely loved this recipe!
I did add pepper jack cheese to it and substituted for gluten free flour.
I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you! So many recipes with cream of sauces that come with way too much sodium. I wanted a from-scratch recipe and this is it.
Could the flour be substituted with almond flour?
Unfortunately I’ve never cooked with almond flour, so I’m not sure that will work.
For a potluck party would you suggest doubling or tripling this recipe?
I probably would, yes.
How would this work with fresh broccoli? Should I blanche it before before mixing it with the cheese and rice?
Yep, I would definitely blanch if first.
I made this today, and hadn’t read the comments first. When I saw this one (as my broccoli dish was baking) I thought, crap, I should’ve read the comments first! I used fresh broccoli but didn’t blanch or cook them at all before mixing them in with the rice and cheese. Just want to report, it came out delicious, so no need to blanch! In fact, I would be worried that the broccoli chunks would become a bit too mushy if pre-cooked.
I’m so glad it still turned out great!
This. Is. Fabulous. I sprinkled some whole wheat panko on top and it gave it the perfect crunch. Shredded chicken and/or bacon would be great with this casserole!!
So good will become a staple…
If I were to add shredded rotisserie chicken in it, when would I put it in? Thanks!
Add the chicken when you stir together the sauce, rice, broccoli, and cheese. :)
Could you substitute cooked quinoa for the rice?
Yep!
Would it be all right to leave this overnight before it is baked? I’d like to do the prep the night before and bake it for lunch.
It should work, although I’ve never tested that method.
So yummy !!! We love spicy food, so I add more smoked paprika and Cayenne pepper. I’m gonna do it again for sure!! :)
Sounds wonderful. I’m an old lady, cooking for one, and delighted to find easy, quick recipes and ways to use leftovers from that big pot of rice. I’ve recently begun cooking a big pot of something (pasta, rice ,quinoa) and using it for meals for the rest of the week as you describe Your ideas are a huge help, and much better than mine. Thank you so much!!!
Made this last week. The family wants it again. Awesome, loved it! We added chicken.
Made a vegetarian version of this and it turned out AMAZING! I’ll make it again! Thank you for the inspiration!
Can I use fresh broccoli?
Yes, but I recommend blanching or steaming it for a few minutes to soften it a bit.
I used shallots because I had several to get rid of. Also added some poultry season as I did not have paprika. I also sprinkled some panko breadcrumbs on top. Very delicious!!! Thank you for an alternative to that yucky canned soup!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! My husband loved it. I will definitely be making it again. Thanks. 🙂
Best broccoli cheese casserole ever!! I’ve made recipes which require mountains of sour cream and mayo which were horribly heavy and too rich/fattening, and this is so much better tasting. I used a mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, adobo, and salt and pepper for the sauce and WOW my mom and I love it.
This is my second time making the Broccoli Cheddar Casserole. I added some sliced deli ham, and it turned out delicious. Thank you for the awesome recipe, Beth!! :-)
I knew this recipe would be SICK CRAZY GOOD!! I just finished making it & was eating the assembled broccoli rice cheese. Thank you for allowing is to peek inside your kitchen. Keep up the good work!
Made this today and it’s great! Reminds me of the taste of broccoli cheddar soup. Fiancé loved it too! Definitely going into our rotation. Thanks for so many simple but delicious recipes that are easy on the wallet!
I’m making this tonight, but I’m using your yellow jasmine rice instead of plain rice…u can’t wait to eat it!
look good Im goin to doet
Wow! This was really good! I have no experience with rice casserole at all, and really made this just to clean out the pantry: I used 1/2 wild rice blend and 1/2 brown rice, had 1/2 lb. frozen broc left, so added a rough-chopped and sautéed red pepper. I upped the bechamel by 1/2 cup (and an extra Tbsp. of roux). My god, it barely fit into my 9X13 casserole, so I will be freezing some of this. (I’ll report back with results). It was so creamy and cheesy! I’m not a huge fan of rice, but this is the best “use it up” recipe! Tasty, warm goodness!
I love your website! Have made so many of your great recipes. Thank you
Thank you for this recipe! I offered to bring a meal to a family in our area before realizing I wouldn’t be grocery shopping beforehand. I have all ingredients on hand and can whip this up on a busy day! (Actually, I’m going to put it together tonight and drop it off with baking instructions tomorrow afternoon).
Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe last week and me and my partner both loved it! I was very pleased to see that the white sauce came nicely together. It was actually the first time I succeeded in making a white sauce hahaha.
Anyway, thank you for this great recipe!
Is this meal freezable?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but it seems like it would work out okay.
This recipe freezes really well, with one caveat: the rice will get mushier after being reheated. So as long as you make sure your rice is already on the firm side, it’ll be fine.
Made this tonight and it was excellent. I co-sign the directions to season the sauce heavily. Mine turned out a little bland even though I added a little mustard, nutmeg and wine. I also tossed in some chopped chicken breast.
This is one of those great starter recipes that just invites improvisation.
Just had to stop by and tell you what an amazing recipe this is. I’m so glad it doesn’t use canned soup! My husband and I LOVED it! Thank you!
If I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen, do I need to cook it first? Excited to try this!
Yes, I’d suggest dropping it into boiling water just for a couple minutes. You want to boil it just until it becomes slightly tender and turns bright green, but doesn’t go to that olive green point.
Hey Beth,
How do you think cooked noodles (like a penne) would hold up in place of rice? My other half isn’t much of a rice fan. Can’t wait to try this recipe regardless!
Yes, I think that would work great. It will be like broccoli mac and cheese! :D
I’ve made this dish twice to take into work, and it’s awesome !!! i thought i wouldn’t like it because of the onions but i don’t even notice them happily :) i sub the butter for vegetable oil spread and the milk for coconut milk and it comes out great!!
Do you think I could prepare this one night ahead of time and actually cook it the next night?
Yes, I think that would work well with this recipe. :)
This was fantastic! So much more flavor than most broccoli cheddar casserole recipes. Thank you!
Just made this last night (yes, I wanted it on Mother’s Day).
I have a recipe from my mother with cheese whiz and mushroom soup, I believe. I love this doesn’t have either of those! I wish I had truly over-seasoned the sauce…because mine was bland. I will still eat it but it wasn’t as fantastical as I hoped!
Whoops my bad sorry.
Aw shit you meant 2 cups of rice instead of 4 right????
Four cups of cooked rice. …which might be around two cups dry.
Can you substitute mozerella cheese for cheddar?
Mozzarella is more stringy when melted than cheddar, so it won’t quite mix in the same way. Cheddar blends smoothly into the sauce.
I’m going to have to try this recipe again – from what I can tell, it’s delicious, but there was a bit of a mishap that I think robbed this of its full potential. I left my fiance to cook, and he read “4 cups cooked rice” as “4 cups uncooked rice,” and mixed it all together according to recipe without realizing that the gargantuan quantity of rice on hand was maybe a bit much for the cheese and sauce to adequately cover. We made a second batch of the sauce to mix in there, then froze about 3/4 of the sauce/rice mix for later use. Still tasted pretty good, though. :)
This was amazing! I added chicken, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for all your great recipes!
Oh, I just made this (but bigger, and with cauliflower and peas), and it was a big hit with everyone, especially my one year old! You can’t go wrong with creamy, cheesy carbs (and chili pepper flakes for me!) :) On the make-again list, for sure!
I made this the other night with quinoa and added some cooked chicken for bulk… HOLY COW! Unbelievably good.
I’ve been a huge fan of your website for over a year now, Beth and this is easily my favorite thus far. Thank you for sharing all of your delicious recipes!
Ooo, what a good idea to use quinoa! The recipe calls for four cups of cooked rice: did you use four cups of cooked quinoa?
Hi Andrea, I made one cup of uncooked quinoa which came out to be just a little under four cups! I figured with the chicken added in too I didn’t want to overwhelm the sauce.
Thank you, Beth for your fantastic blog and mouth watering recipes…..
Any thoughts on using soy milk as a non-dairy substitute in this recipe?
Thanks!
Patti
Hmmm, I think if you stuck to unsweetened soy milk it might be okay. The flavor will certainly be a bit different, though.
A) I love your website;
and B) I have been completely obsessed with coconut milk lately.. Any thoughts? It would certainly be delicious with the Jasmine rice, but I’ve never tried it with cheddar cheese before..
Hmm, I’ve never tried to make a cheese sauce with it, either. I honestly have no idea if it would work!
I’ve made béchamel sauce with soy & almond milk. It works beautifully. I prefer almond milk with cheesy things only because the nuttiness goes so well. I also think the nuttiness in the almond milk would go great with the brown rice in this recipe.
This turned out really well. I skipped the onion for the sake of my daughter, but otherwise followed the recipe. I had leftover rice from takeout chinese, and it worked perfectly. Crowd pleaser for sure!
HOLY CRAP IS THIS GOOD. I added bacon in the pan at the beginning, and cooked the onions with the bacon and a bit of bacon fat. The finished product was seriously decadent.
I have made 3 of your meals in 3 days and they are all so good! More please!
I make something like this (but with chunks of yellow squash and zucchini) and freeze it UNBAKED in 2 aluminum loaf pans for new mothers in the community (lasagna works well too, but needs 3 pans). Top with heavy foil and write the directions on the foil and let them stash away a meal for another day :) It’s also good with taco seasoning and black beans mixed in too, yum!
Made this with brown rice and shallots. I ended up with enough to fill a 9×13. Tasted good and we liked it with a bit of mustard on top.
I added some leftover spicy shrimp sauce/soup (the kind that they serve the shrimp with at Killer Shrimp) that my boyfriend brought home from a bbq, and used that instead of the spices. I also did not make the bechamel that creamy, just sort of milky and soupy with the shrimp sauce added to it. This recipe takes rice to a whole new level I never even thought of. Thanks for another great recipe, Beth!
Love it!! Easy and delicious…
I used fresh brocolis (blanched) and jalapeno cheddar for a little kick.
It’s been my lunch for 2 days now!
This is yet another winner! I made it for dinner last night, and just ate some of the leftovers for lunch. This is definitely a meal that heats up well for easy work lunches. I did think it needed a bit more salt, which may be because I used unsalted butter in the sauce. Remember to plan ahead, though, with the rice…I didn’t have cooked rice on hand, so my dinner ended up getting served a little late. :)
I’ve made the Broccoli and Cheese Casserole for dinner last night, and honestly, it is DELICIOUS!! To add some protein, as well as stretching the meal out, I added the cooked chicken. I wouldn’t mind eating this dish without meat, but my sister isn’t very fond of vegetarian dishes, so I had to compromise. I will definitely make the casserole again, but next time, I’m adding some bacon to it. :-)
Delicious and vegetarian! I’ve never put rice in a casserole before, who knew it could be so good?!
Two “cups” of rice in the rice cooker came out to way more than four cups, but I used it all anyway. I added half a rotisserie chicken, dried mustard, and chipotle pepper. An extra Tbsp of butter, 2.5 Tbsp glutinous rice flour, and about 3/4 cup of milk made enough sauce to coat the extra rice and chicken in a 9″x13″ pan.
The result was lovely, gluten free, and definitely easy on the wallet. Thank you for the recipe.
This is the best broccoli cheddar rice casserole I’ve ever tired! I made it exactly as the recipe said, and added 2 cups shredded cheddar. It was not too dry, came out amazing. I’ve been eating it for lunch the past several days and it reheats very well. Love this recipe- thank you!!!
As usual the cup measurement has me scratching my head. How much uncooked rice is that exactly?
After 20 minutes of googleing i come to the conclusion: ~1/4 kilo/250 gram?
I’m not sure in grams or kilos because I never measure in those units. I usually just cook a big pot at the beginning of the week and use it for various things, so I haven’t cooked a batch that is exactly two cups once cooked. If you cook one cup of dry rice, you’ll have at least two cups cooked plus a little extra, though.
Love broccoli and love this recipe so much I ate it for breakfast this morning! I have frozen the rest and I am sure it will be fine as I freeze risotto all the time but make sure I always defrost it fully before reheating which makes all the difference. It costs twice as much to make this though as food is very expensive in Australia but still a budget meal regardless.
I’m going to try this tonight with quinoa instead of rice. Yum!
I made this tonight with one pound of 1/2 inch cubed, sautéed chicken and a lb of fresh broccoli.(I did blanch the broccoli first. I had to double the sauce though, it would have been quite dry if I hadn’t. Perhaps the fresh broccoli and chicken just added that much more bulk? I also cooked the rice with 2 tsp of chicken better than bouillon paste for more chicken flavor. (1.5 c raw rice made almost exactly the amount needed)
It came out soo good, muchly appreciated by the DH. :) Thanks again, Beth!
I loved your post.Much thanks again. eadefdadeaeddkcd
I’ll be making the Broccoli Cheddar Casserole for dinner next week. I would like to add some cooked chicken to this dish to stretch it out. How long will the casserole bake in the oven? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
If the chicken is already cooked before adding it to the casserole, the baking time will be the same. I definitely suggest adding chicken that’s already cooked, instead of raw. You can do rotisserie chicken, or chicken breast that you’ve cooked in a skillet or George Foreman grill, then chopped into pieces. :)
This is just delicious!! Thank you so much for the recipe. I just made it for my five kids, who all have colds. I used regular brown rice and fresh broccoli. Since I have celiac disease, I used white rice flour. It turned out perfect. I made a double batch. We are just eating it the way it is, it doesn’t need meat or anything. Love it!
This is in the oven as we speak, I did add some leftover chicken as well as some sauted mushrooms just to bulk it up a bit … smells fantastic, dinner might be early tonight.
Oh my! Broccoli cheddar casserole has me in love. I want to nom all of these pictures. :)
I made this tonight, almost exactly as the recipe said except I added a little bit of mustard powder, and used red pepper flakes in place of cayenne. It was delicious and I will definitely be making it again. Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing this timely recipe! I just bought a chicken at the store today and I was just looking at a bag of broccoli in the freezer thinking that I should make this dish.
Thanks for the recipe. I know what I’ll be making very soon.
Freezing cooked rice also works great for fried rice!
Hi Beth,
Thanks for another tasty-looking recipe!
Actually, I was intrigued by your mention of making your Spinach Rice Breakfast Bowls quite often. I’d love to know more about what your all time favorite Budget Bytes recipes are, and if that changes over time/with seasons, or if there’s a few that have always remained your go-tos.
(I’ve looked at the ‘My Favorites’ sidebar over on the right side of your blog, but wasn’t sure if those were your own personal choices or if those particular recipes are chosen b/c of general website popularity.)
Thank you!
My favorites are constantly changing. :) Because I’ve made SO MANY recipes over the past 5-6 years, I don’t think there is a way I could ever pick one. The favorites in the side bar are *some* of my favorites, but definitely not all. :) I list them there because although they are my favs, they don’t always get a lot of traffic, and I want to make sure they’re not missed!
Yes! I do mac and cheese with broccoli all the time — so good — but somehow never get around to the classic broccoli rice casserole. Must make very soon!
This recipe looks really great! I’ll definitely have to try it. Also, I might just be weird, but this is the first time I’ve heard of freezing rice. Seems like a great idea though – to have it ready for any dish that you’d like to make very quickly.
Any idea how many calories are in one serving of the casserole? Just curious.
I’m sorry, I don’t know the calories. And you’re not weird! It was a total light bulb moment for me when I discovered freezing rice and my life has never been the same. :)
According to caloriecount.com, there’s 738 calories per serving.
Hmm, that sounds like it may have been calculated using 4 cups of UNcooked rice? It seems too high.
I imported this into myfitnesspal and there are 420 calories per serving.
Beth,
What? No sriracha??!!!
It looks delicious.
sriracha who needs it! I love how the “cream of” soups are omitted. Those are so gross and yet it seems like they are required for so many recipes. Last I checked, there’s 150 in just 1/2 cup of cream soups. I can eat a candy bar for the same amount of calories. And, um, you can freeze rice? That is a total new flash to me.
I totally put some on my serving this afternoon… before reading this comment! Hahaha You know me too well. :)
This is very similar to a recipe my mother loves – except hers has those soups…and Cheese Whiz! I resist all of that, so I haven’t made it in at least 5 years. I’m going to make yours very soon! YUMMM!
Try adding stuffing mix to everything. So indulgent but so delicious.
Oooh, that’s an interesting idea!
Yum! Thanks for this! I love recipes needing ‘cream of’ soups (yeah yeah, I know) but all I can get here in AU is cream of chicken. Gonna make this SOON.
Love this! I love being able to tell people that I made something from scratch. I feel like some primal cavewoman that could survive any natural disaster! Lol! Looking forward to trying this :)
I LOVE Broccoli and Cheese Casserole!! Honestly, my mouth is WATERING right now!! Since I’m a HUGE fan of leftovers, I’m going to stretch this meal out by adding some chopped up chicken, and serve it with a salad. :-)
This looks so good. I bet I would love this just the way it is with no meat!
Does this freeze well? If so, should I cook it before freezing?
I need to test freezing it. Sometimes flour thickened sauces don’t freeze too well.
How would you adjust for fresh broccoli? I don’t have frozen, but have a big bunch of fresh and this looks great!
I’d chop it up, then drop it into boiling water for about a minute. Drain, then add to the recipe as I did with the frozen broccoli. :)
Would you substitute lb for lb?
Yep. The amount of broccoli is very flexible, so even it’s a little more or a little less, it will be fine. :)
Great, thanks! :-)
I didn’t see this comment and made it with fresh broccoli without blanching – it turned out fine! The pieces of stalk were a little crunchy, but I thought it worked. I used bacon fat for the roux…because I had a pan of bacon fat on the stove I was dreading cleaning :)
Could you use fresh broccoli instead of the frozen?
You can, but you probably want to blanch it first to soften it up just a bit. Drop it into boiling water for about a minute, drain, then add to the recipe.
This looks really good and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Adding bacon would probably make it taste the way we eat baked potatoes. Yum. I was thinking of substituting peas and carrots for the broccoli and adding canned tuna. (We’ve gotten a lot of tuna on sale lately.) That sounds good even if I leave out the cheese.