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. Cheesy broccoli 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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“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.”
Barbara
A Comfort Classic Worth Making from Scratch
If you didn’t grow up on broccoli cheese casserole, you’re missing out! This super rich and creamy 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 and cheese casserole, I’ve skipped the condensed canned soup and made my own cream of broccoli soup 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!
Recipe Success Tips
- 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 are needed to the recipe below if you plan to use brown rice. Brown rice adds a slightly nutty flavor and a bit more texture to this broccoli casserole.
- 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 from getting mushy. If you don’t have cooked rice on hand, allow time to cook some rice and let it 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.
- Add your favorite seasonings. Try adding a pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the sauce for extra depth. A little thyme or crushed red pepper also adds great flavor without overpowering the cheese.
- Feel free to add some cooked meat if you’re not keeping things vegetarian. I’d go for browned ground beef, diced or pulled chicken, or diced leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast, depending on when I’m making it. Use a larger baking dish to fit it all.
- You can assemble this broccoli cheese casserole up to one day in advance, keeping it refrigerated until you’re ready to cook. Since the casserole will be chilled when it goes into the oven, you may need to add an extra 20-30 minutes to the cooking time to ensure it heats through.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Cost $5.78 recipe / $0.96 serving
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.50*)
- 4 cups cooked rice (white or brown, $0.67)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded, $2.00**)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 2 garlic cloves ($0.16)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.30)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.36***)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Sauce Pot
- 9×9 Casserole Dish
Notes
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
Prep the broccoli: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Thaw one pound of frozen broccoli florets, then chop them into smaller pieces.
Make the filling: 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.
Make 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: 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.
Assemble the casserole: Transfer the broccoli rice mixture to a casserole dish (about 9×9 inches) and then add the remaining shredded cheddar on top.
Cook: 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!
Serving Suggestions
This easy broccoli cheese casserole is one of those dishes that goes with almost everything. I love serving it as part of a cozy Sunday dinner with roasted chicken legs or glazed pork chops, or making it the centerpiece of a meatless meal with our lentil meatloaf and a crisp green salad. During the holidays, it’s a must-have side to serve next to your mashed potatoes and corn pudding.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating, then warm up quickly in the microwave until hot.
Made it with half broccoli half yellow squash. I used fresh so nuked it for 5 minutes first. I skipped the cayenne but would probably add franks red hot next time. I doubled up on the seasoning and it probably could use a little more as 4 cups of rice really a lot to season.
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!