Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Updated Sept. 15, 2022
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ¾cup unsalted butter, plus more for greasing dish
- Kosher salt
- 3 to 4large heads broccoli (about 3½ pounds), trimmed of long stalks and cut into small florets
- 1½teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- 2bunches scallions
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ¾cup all-purpose flour
- 4½cups whole milk
- 5cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 2cups coarsely crushed Ritz crackers
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
672 calories; 43 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1033 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green. Drain immediately and set aside.
- Step 3
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter with 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes over medium heat. When melted, add the scallions, 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper, and cook until scallions have softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour streaks are slightly golden in color, then add the milk in a slow stream, stirring continuously.
- Step 4
Continue to stir the milk until the mixture is thick and creamy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add 4 cups of the cheese, stirring vigorously to melt it down into a smooth sauce. Taste and season with salt.
- Step 5
Add the cooked rice and parboiled broccoli to the pot and stir until evenly coated with sauce.
- Step 6
Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup grated cheese, Ritz crackers and remaining ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes.
- Step 7
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling. For more color, cook under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully. Serve warm.
- The casserole without the cracker-cheese topping can be assembled a day earlier and stored in the refrigerator. You might need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the cook time if baking from cold.
Private Notes
Comments
Baked in a deep pie plate with a puff pastry crust, I went with 1/2 cups of butter and flour, and about 3 cups of milk for the sauce along with a couple handfuls less cheese and it was more more than enough for our preparation. Substituted some stilton along with the cheddar, and quartered brussels with the broccoli, and lots of leeks and mushrooms sautéed very soft with some sherry. It would be honest to say that we absolutely loved it!
I used 2 cups white rice and 2 cups red quinoa. Nice touch for the vegetarians and it added visual interest to the dish. Assembly note: This makes a LOT I had to split into two casserole dishes. The rice tended to sink to the bottom of the pot, even with stirring, while I was getting into the dishes. One ended up with more rice than the other. If I do this again, I will add the rice last (it's already cooked) after I get the mixture into the casseroles, and then stir.
Leftover casserole with added milk or cream and vegetable broth makes a fantastic soup!
Delicious. Used 1 can white beans instead of rice per comments, a healthy edit. Added celery. This is a tasty casserole that adapts well to pantry pulls. Freezing half and enjoying half.
I've made multiple permutations of this after making the original - except substituted Panko for crackers. I didn't care for the rice, so looked at other's suggestion. Made a rouge with much less cheese, subbed cannellini beans for rice (great!), sauteed a small onion (no green onions) interchanged cauliflower and broccoli, but best addition was 1-2 tsp curry powder. Wowza!
This is a high fat recipe. It’s tasty and will make a good side dish for a large gathering. I placed it in several small baking dishes to freeze and use later. I experimented with one and added a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence. This added quite a bit of flavor. I’ll use this the next time. btw, the green onions are great. I would never have used them in a casserole before.