Y’all, can I just tell you about how I wish I had a melty blanket of cheese to sleep under every night so that I could wake up and eat through it for breakfast every morning?
Weird, right?
Welcome to the brain of a food blogger. Totally normal over here!
But really though, anything that is covered by a blanket of cheddar cheese pretty much automatically wins in my book, and I think that if we’re all being honest with ourselves we’d all agree.
OH! And speaking of being honest with ourselves, I just have to say this: I am severely saddened by the evening wear portion of the Miss America pageant that was on TV last night. Surely those sweet girls know that dresses that are so poorly designed that they hang weird and inhibit normal movement are not attractive. And I wish I could pull the majority of them aside and let them know that they are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS without having to show off all the goods in front of the whole entire world.
I’m just sayin’ is all. Women are more beautiful when there’s a little mystery and modesty going on.
But back to the cheese – I haven’t always been a fan of the standard broccoli cheese casserole that we would always find on the buffet tables at church Thanksgiving suppers growing up. The broccoli was weird and the only redeeming quality was – shocker – the cheese. However, I took the things that I DO like about that casserole and threw my little spin on them – chewy brown rice, fresh broccoli, super sharp cheddar and toned down the condensed soup a bit to come up with something I think is totally Thanksgiving-worthy, but easy enough to get on the table for any weeknight dinner too.
I’m thinking about dedicating this week to the growing massive pile of books to be read, so if you need me you can find me cuddled under my cheese blanket and reading 😉 Join me, won’t you?
CHEESY BROCCOLI AND BROWN RICE CASSEROLE
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2-1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (you could also use cream of mushroom)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Stir together all ingredients except the cheese. Pour into an oven-safe baking dish (I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet). Sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the broccoli is cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbly on top. Serve hot!
Is there a print version of this? I was going to print off of here and it was several pages long.
Hi Deanna! I don’t have a feature for that at the moment, but you can just copy and paste it into a Word doc and print that off. Not ideal, just a little workaround 😉
Does the can of soup need the extra cup of water if it is condensed cream of chicken? Thanks 🙂
Hey Christi! No water required, just the condensed soup. Great question!
can this be made with minute rice?
Hey Alison! I don’t see why not, although if it’s white rice the texture will be a little off because it tends to cook up softer. Otherwise you should be fine!
I absolutely love this recipe! I needed something to spice up the usual brown rice side and this is fantastic! It took center stage! I made it the first time with what I had on hand (cream of celery) worked great however I really think the amount of salt and seasonings should be cut back it is quite salty. Tonight I am trying cream of mushroom because I love mushroom flavor. Next week it will be cream of chicken. I already see some many fun things besides broccoli that I can put in there like those mushrooms I mentioned I loved… YUM!!!! My husband loves this! He needed a break from my famous triple cheese artery clogging mac and cheese and this fits the spot! I feel better about feeding this to my family, unlike mac and cheese there is fabulous fiber from the whole grain rich brown rice instead of white carb pasta, fresh veggies, much less cheese but you still get that creamy rich feel. Can’t thank you enough for this- easy to make, very quick recipe that you can easily have all these ingredients on hand even if you use frozen broccoli! (I’m loving all these uses for “cream of” soups)
I’m craving this comfort right here! My kids would loooove this!
I can not wait to make this. Here is a recipe for a substitute for cream of soup. Everyone tells me that when I use this everything tastes better:
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk, 3/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon, 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Equal to 9 (10.5 oz) cans of cream soup. To use: Combine 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups of cold water. Whisk until well blended. Cook and stir on stove top or in microwave until thickened. Add thickened mixture to recipe instead of can of soup.
Good to know – thank you Shari! It sounds wonderful!
It’s 10:30 at night. I have just finished a bowl of popcorn and several spoonfuls of peanut butter dipped in chocolate chips. Yet, I would eat two platefuls of this dish if you gave it to me right now. Love the idea of adding a nutty, chewy rice to this traditional casserole.
(Also, in regards to your Miss America comments – my mom would ALWAYS say “That outfit leaves NO room for the imagination.” I know I’ll be saying the same thing to my own daughters some day 🙂 ).
I want a cheesy blanket too! 🙂 This looks fab!
I agree with you… less is more. Unless we’re talking about cheese! 😉
Mo’ cheese = mo’ better 😉
I didn’t watch the pageant, I’d rather have my mind on cheese. 🙂 This sounds incredible, Heather!
We only watched the evening wear part, which is usually my favorite, but this year most of the dresses were just not cute. Cheese was a much more interesting subject 😉
It’s totally normal to dream about blankets made of cheese…
I’m sure you’re version is much better than the one we all remember growing up. The cast iron seals the deal for me- making it soon! Hope you’re well! xo
I am doing well Kelley! I think a good cast-iron casserole is always a winner 😉
YUM! Look at that steam! Gorgeous!
Aw, shucks 😉
This looks so good!! I sometimes find rice casseroles to be a bit dry but this looks anything but! Love it!
I totally know what you mean – I think the milk adds the right amount of moisture without making it sticky. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving now!
Mmm! I love chicken, broccoli and rice bakes! That thick layer of cheese is killing me!
It’s alllllllllll about the cheese 😉