Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole
Heeeeerrrreee’s the liver and onions…..your kids are sure to eat it up with abandon. Just kidding. Ta da…..casserole! Thank you to everyone who voted. I promise to hit the other recipes. Sorry I didn’t do them all, Natalee.
It was a thousand degrees and humid at our cottage, so I was dreading making this Whole Foods casserole since it required the oven. However, Scarlett was really keen to make it. She helped me with all the shopping and asked more than once if I was ready to “cook”.
Ingredients
- Olive oil for casserole dish
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- Salt to taste
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 (15-ounce) can regular (not condensed) cream of celery or mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon chopped, fresh parsley
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Grease a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with olive oil; set aside.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat.
Add rice and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil.
Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes.
Take pot off of the heat for a few minutes, then uncover, stir and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and cook for around 5 minutes or until softened.
Mix in broccoli and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in rice, soup and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer rice mixture to prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Scarlett is no longer satisfied with just being my sous chef. She now wants to be at the oven, which is my nightmare. I’ve taken to allowing her to add or mix ingredients into a pot on a burner that isn’t on.
I did allow her to stir the rice after I’d added the water and was ready to turn down the heat. Pleased with her accomplishment, she ended up eating a bowl (or two) of plain rice on the deck as I sauteed the onion and broccoli. When I asked if she wanted to grate the cheese she informed me that it was “for babies.” Apparently, she’s gotten too big for grating anything. If we keep going at this rate, she’ll be inclined to de-bone a trout by 5.
Next time I plan to add more vegetables to this dish. I served it as a side with steak and corn but this would also be an easy and great main with ground turkey or chicken. You could easily brown meat in a pan and mix it in to the casserole when you transfer the rice and vegetable mixture. Scarlett picked the broccoli out of the side as she ate her dinner….I think the two bowls of rice earlier had done her in. Plus she was ready for dessert. After all, in summer’s heat who can think of anything other than ice cream.
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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
5 Comments
Lesa
August 16, 15:14I love Scarlett's preference to do more important cooking tasks! I totally relate to your nightmare. Anytime there's activity in the kitchen, Isla says "I want to help you" and pulls a dining room chair in for her to stand on, which is inevitably in front of the hot stove.
I Heart Beauty
August 17, 17:40I made this last night. Cannot underscore how good it was. Went back for seconds and the dish was practically clean. We paired with a BBQ chicken on the side (did not bake with) but ended up mixing in the chicken afterwards. I'm eating again today and the texture is like risotto, which is AWESOME.
Ceri
August 17, 17:42I just had lunch and your comment is making me hungry, K!
Natalee Caple
August 18, 14:16yummy!Can't wait to try this. I just need to unpack a kitchen.
Laura
August 19, 02:20Good luck unpacking!