Broccoli and Cheese Rice Casserole Recipe

Rating 5.0
| 2
Broccoli and cheese rice casserole is a great way to make healthy broccoli, kale and whole-grain rice even more delicious - bake them in a cheesy sauce! It's a hearty side dish or a plant-based main.
Utensils Dinner
Globe New American
14
ingredients
11
steps
50
minutes
Chef Susie is a cookbook author, chocolatier, pastry chef and culinary educator with more than a decade of experience teaching and running an artisan chocolate business, which has been featured on the Food Network. Prior to beginning her culinary career, Chef Susie worked as a TV executive at three of the Big Four networks. She is now the author of three books, the latest based on her award-winning culinary travel blog.

Ingredients

Servings:
8
7 cup(s)
salted water, divided
1 1/2 cup(s)
brown or mixed grain rice
2-3
large broccoli heads, roughly chopped into florets
1/2 cup(s)
chopped celery
2 tblsp
butter
3 tblsp
all-purpose flour
1 cup(s)
chicken broth
1/2 cup(s)
dry white wine
1 cup(s)
whole or 2% milk
2 cup(s)
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp
salt
1/4 tsp
white or black pepper
1
medium onion, chopped
10
kale leaves, trimmed of tough stems and chopped

Directions 11 steps | 50 Minutes

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan bring three cups of salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice.

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Step 2

Cover the saucepan and cook stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is soft. (See notes 1.)

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Step 3

As the rice cooks, prepare the broccoli. In a medium saucepan bring the remaining four cups of salted water to a boil.  Add the chopped broccoli and cook for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is just tender and still bright green.

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Step 4

Drain the broccoli and set it aside.

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Step 5

Rinse out the medium saucepan and use it to make the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and flour and stir until the butter melts and forms a thick mixture with the flour. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until golden and a nutty aroma appears.

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Step 6

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, a large splash at a time, making sure a smooth sauce forms.

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Step 7

Slowly incorporate the wine and then the milk.

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Step 8

Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, salt and white pepper. Season to taste.

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Step 9

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked rice, broccoli, cheese sauce, chopped onion and chopped kale. Toss until evenly coated and season to taste.

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Step 10

Transfer the mixture into a 10x15-inch baking dish and bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, until hot.

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Step 11

Serve warm. Enjoy!

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Notes:

  1. Alternatively, use a rice cooker to cook the rice.

Nutrition Per Serving
View All
CALORIES
289
FAT
14.6 g
PROTEIN
16.9 g
CARBS
25 g

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

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2 Comments
2 Comments
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Jessica S.

Jessica

29 Jul 2022

Classic recipe for an easy weeknight meal - loved the twist adding in the kale for some extra nutritional value

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Chris E.

Chris

09 Jul 2022

Perfect for a weeknight family meal. My little guy loved it! We added some rotisserie chicken we have left over from the night before.

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