Seems like “retro week” here on Salad in a Jar. In addition to Ice Cream Balls with Hot Fudge Sauce for dessert, we need a vegetable side dish for Easter dinner. This is one of my oldest son’s favorite dishes so this recipe is for my lovely-both-inside-and-out daughter-in-law if she chooses to accept the task. My son will be excited to see it on the buffet…and I think you will be pleased with it too, especially if you are a broccoli fan. I’m guessing many people go for it judging from its frequent appearance at potlucks in these parts.
You may be familiar with the version using cream of mushroom, celery or chicken soup. Some call for Cheese Whiz too. Yikes! Not my style–although I’m not averse to keeping a few cans of soup in the pantry for emergencies. I wanted a recipe that was fresh all the way. By making the sauce from scratch, I could control the fat and salt content. (Don’t worry–it’s not hard.)
A few side notes:
1. If you are feeding reluctant broccoli eaters, chop the broccoli finely. Personally, I like bigger pieces for textural interest.
2. Add milk or cream a tablespoon at a time to broccoli-rice mixture if it seems too thick before you bake it.
3. Any kind of rice will work. Jasmine is my favorite.
Besides cleaning and chopping the broccoli (you can substitute frozen–cooked and drained), the sauce is the most labor-intensive step. I make sauces in my microwave so I don’t have to worry about burning or sticking. But for those of you who would rather stand over a hot stove, I’ve included instructions both ways.
In regards to the microwave, I would love to know your opinion. I know many chefs and restaurants are negative about them but I personally think they are a modern miracle for the home cook WHEN USED CORRECTLY AND CAREFULLY. In fact, I have two of them in my kitchen. They are one of my skinny secrets because they help make healthy eating convenient–a very important principle for me.
Before and after cooking
Making sauce in microwave. Last picture compared to making in a skillet
| Broccoli-Rice Casserole (No Canned Soup) |
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- 4 cups (10 ounces) fresh broccoli florets and stems, chopped (stems should be VERY finely chopped)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup minced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 12-ounce can 2% or regular evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (can use any cheese you like here, I like to use some smoked Provolone or Gouda if available)
- 1 1/4 cup cooked rice
- Steam or microwave (about 3 minutes on HIGH) chopped broccoli and stems until tender but still bright green. Squeeze lemon over broccoli.
- Melt butter in skillet. Add onions, garlic, celery and mushrooms and saute until softened. Stir in flour and cook about one minute to take away the raw flour taste. Whisk in milk and continue whisking until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 cup cheese and stir to melt.
- [Microwave directions for Step 2] Add butter, onions, celery and mushrooms to 2 quart batter bowl. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes. Add flour to vegetables and stir. Whisk in milk and cook uncovered on HIGH for 6-7 minutes. Whisk after 4 minutes and once a minute thereafter to even out the cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 cup cheese and stir to melt. Sauce will thicken more as it sits.
- Combine broccoli, rice, and cheese sauce. Turn into 1 1/2 quart greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F until bubbly.
If this is going to be sitting for any length of time before baking, add at least 1/4 cup of milk (maybe more) to make up for all the moisture the rice absorbs.
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Amount Per Serving
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Calories 259
Calories from Fat 114
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Total Fat 12.7g
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Saturated Fat 7.8g
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Cholesterol 40mg
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Sodium 324mg
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Total Carbohydrates 25.7g
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Dietary Fiber 1.4g
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Sugars 4.4g
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This is amazing!!!!!
Paula,
I just subscribed to your website. Ha, I don’t even know the right terminology- but let’s just say I am excited about it!!! I made this casserole last week and made it again today. I buy broccoli florets from Schwann’s (because they have only florets and are top quality). They come in steamable baggies. Well…usually I have leftover- and usually trash them after a day or two. WELL, then I found your recipe. I modified it only slightly (leaving out the mushrooms because I didn’t have any on hand). It is wonderful! THANK YOU!
Scarlett,
Glad to hear from you. My mom used to buy from Schwann’s when I was a kid. They had the best ice cream. Didn’t know they had good broccoli. Anyway, glad you like the casserole. It’s adaptable as you have already figured out. paula
That looks really good! And I love your photo montages. : )
Thanks for this recipe. “No can soup” Looking forward to making it
I just made this last night, using the stovetop directions. I was able to use twice the amount of rice, and it turned out tasty. I used regular evap milk for the first time, and won’t do that again, as I realized it is quite high in fat. Has anyone tried this using regular milk? Next time I think I will use brown rice, and cover the dish while baking for at least half the time, as the cheese got quite brown before the rice was completely hot.
Hi!
I was looking for a good side dish to go with ham tonight and I found your blog.
Just assembled this to bake later and I have to tell you, it is good right out of the pan before you even bake it!
This is a fabulous dish. Tried making it a couple of months back and will be trying it out again today. Instead of using rice, I used penne pasta. I also substituted the celery with blanched spinach leaves. And I added some mozarella (for the stringy texture) just before baking. Works out just as good!
Not only was this delicious!This was a fast and easy dish to make! Thanks for sharing!
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