Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

This broccoli cheese rice casserole is a classic! This creamy side dish is loaded with broccoli and heaps of golden cheese. Each bite is irresistible!

We love cheesy side dishes and this one reminds us of our favorite cheesy hashbrown potato casserole.

It’s an excellent addition to any dinner or holiday and always popular at potlucks!

It’s incredibly easy to whip together in about 5 minutes, but it does take a bit of foresight since you’ll need already cooked rice.

Pro tip: plan another meal during the week which uses rice, such as Puerto Rican carne guisada, and make extra rice to kill two birds with one stone.

You can also set the rice to cook while you prepare the other ingredients.

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Besides the rice, there are a few other tips to note about the ingredients:

• Broccoli: like the rice, this needs to be cooked before adding to the casserole.

This can be done easily by a quick boil, or steaming in the microwave. Be sure to drain any excess water.

• Condensed soup: we like cream of mushroom, but cream of chicken works just as well!

My aunt never uses creamed soup in her broccoli rice casserole, so that’s an option as well.

If you leave out the soup, the finished dish will be cheesy and tender, but with a firmer texture.

• Cheese: Velveeta or Cheez Whiz are traditionally used in this recipe.

I used American cheese which you can purchase at the deli counter, but cheddar would be just as great!

• Eggs: this broccoli casserole is special since it contains eggs – most recipes do not!

The eggs help bind the casserole and give it a light texture similar to souffle. 

If you leave them out (you can), the casserole will have a very creamy texture like mac and cheese.

When it comes to preparing broccoli cheese and rice casserole, it doesn’t get any easier than this!

Simply mix all the ingredients together and pour into your baking dish.

Tips for making cheesy broccoli rice casserole:

1. Grease the pan well! If you don’t, you’ll be scrubbing little bits of cheese and rice for days!

I love the outside pieces of the casserole that get a little crispy, but I do not like washing dishes!

2. When mixing all of the ingredients, add the salt and pepper before you add the eggs.

That way you can taste and see if it needs more seasoning, but you don’t have to eat raw eggs.