Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by my friends at the New England Dairy & Food Council.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole…a warm and comforting casserole made from scratch using all natural cheeses.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

I’ve been in the mood for casseroles lately. For some reason, once the weather turns colder, casseroles feel like comfort food to me.

When I was a kid, my mom made casseroles all the time. I used to make them too, in college and when I was first married.Then I stopped making them. I’m not sure why.

In college, my roommates and I made something that resembled this casserole. I’m not going to tell you what was in it…let’s just say it wasn’t particularly healthy.

To re-create this old favorite, I turned to my chicken pot pie recipe for inspiration. When I’m making sauces, I tend to use a variation of chicken broth, cream, white wine and Dijon mustard. It made sense to do the same here.

Your rice needs to be cooked ahead of time. I use a rice cooker now…the rice comes out perfect every time. It beeps when it’s done and keeps your rice warm. If you have ever burnt a pot a rice, you’re going to want one of these.  I myself have burned many; hence my enthusiasm for rice cookers!

So while your rice is cooking, sauté your chopped onions in butter until translucent, and then add your white wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together your cream and Dijon mustard until well blended, lower your heat, and then add it to the mixture. Stir well. Add broccoli to the sauce and cook until crisp-tender. Remove from heat, combine with rice and cheese, setting aside a little cheese for on top of the casserole.

Place the broccoli rice mixture into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Before I share the recipe, I want to talk about something a little more serious.

Did you know that every day one in six Americans struggle with hunger, including 12 million families?

Milk is one of the most requested food items in food banks, but it’s rarely donated. Most people simply don’t think to donate milk because it’s perishable. Until I was contacted by the New England Dairy & Food Council, I never thought about it either. I’ve always just donated non perishables. The idea of donating milk never crossed my mind.

The lack of milk availability in food banks means families are missing out on essential nutrients.

The average food bank client only has access to one gallon of milk a year! ONE. Can you imagine if your child only had access to one gallon of milk a year? That was a sobering thought for me. My oldest son could go through a gallon a week by himself.

We can make a difference in our own local communities by supporting the Great American Milk Drive. It’s easy to donate fresh milk to your local food bank by visiting www.mustbethemilk.com/milkdrive. When you use your credit card to make a donation, your donation will go to your local food bank, based on the county your credit card is linked to. If you are using a Connecticut credit card to make a contribution, your donation will go to the Connecticut Food Bank or Foodshare.

I’m thinking this is an awesome way to give back, and help families that need it the most.

Now for the recipe! This Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole can be a side dish, or if you add leftover chicken or ham, you could easily turn it into a main dish!

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Yield: 9

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

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Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole...a warm and comforting casserole made from scratch...no soups or processed cheeses!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups light cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 5 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook rice according to package directions.
3. While your rice is cooking, sauté your chopped onions in butter until translucent.
4. Add white wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until liquid reduced by about half.
5. Whisk together your cream and Dijon mustard until well blended.
6. Lower heat to low, and remove a little of chicken broth and wine mixture and add cream to that to temper it. Then add the cream mixture to the chicken broth wine mixture, and stir to blend.
7. Add broccoli to the sauce and cook until crisp-tender.
8. Remove from heat, add cooked rice and cheese, setting aside a little cheese for on top of the casserole.
9. Place the broccoli rice mixture into a baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil for the last few minutes of cooking.

Notes

Cooking time includes cooking time for rice, and assumes you will be cooking the sauce and broccoli while rice is cooking.
As a side dish, this would be about 9 servings, 1/2 cup serving per person.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 397Total Fat: 26gCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 30g