I had planned on making some steaks on the grill and I was in search of a side dish. I was going to baked potatoes, but we needed a vegetable. I usually just open up a can of something and warm it up in the microwave, but we were having steak! I wanted something that would match with the quality of that delicious cut of meat. That’s when I remembered my Mom’s broccoli and rice casserole that she used to make us all of the time. That was going to be perfect.
Her recipe was just like this one from Spend With Pennies, and I learned how to make it many, many years ago. I wasn’t quite sure what my kids were going to think of it, but I tried it on them anyways.
Everyone at my dinner table really enjoyed this side dish. I think it went faster than the steak did! That cheesy and gooey gooey deliciousness was hard to resist!
Quick Tip: Make this a complete meal by adding in some chicken.
If you’re new to making homemade sauces, don’t let this recipe scare it. It’s one of the easiest ones to start with in my opinion. The first time that I made a homemade sauce, I think my nerves got the best of me and I messed it up just a bit and had to start over.
It was a good thing that I had extra ingredients on hand! After getting it right the second time, I have mastered the art of sauce making, and it’s a great way to stay away from cream soups if you want the full home style experience.
Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 cups cooked rice
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup (or you use 1 can each cream of chicken and cream of mushroom)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Cook onion in butter in large skillet until soft.
Add remaining ingredients and cook just until cheese is melted.
Put in 2 quart casserole dish.
Bake at 350 (uncovered) for 1 hour.
To make ahead and freeze: Mix all ingredients together (start with your rice cooked, not raw) and spoon into two or even three smaller casserole dishes, cover, label and freeze. If you thaw overnight, just cook the one hour. If cooking from frozen state, add ten minutes or so, check for doneness. Many thanks to Tornado Ali, for her wonderful tips for freezing this.