🏅▷ Dinner for Two: Broccoli Rice Casserole

Broccoli cheese and rice casserole, on the tail of my tater tot casserole, is my other favorite casserole in the world. A rich, creamy cheesy broccoli and rice casserole topped with crushed ritz crackers!

One of my junk food vices is Ritz crackers. (Ok, I just owned up to my serious candy addiction yesterday), but really, Ritz crackers always sound good. I love them with beer. Especially wheat ale. I love them smeared with sunflower seed butter, I love them dipped in chocolate to make Copycat Girl Scout
Thin Mints
(yes, really!), but most of all, I love them on top of casseroles.

I’m pretty sure Christy from Southern Plate is the one that introduced me to a green bean and corn casserole topped with buttery crackers. I thought ‘how good could a vegetable casserole be?’ and then I tasted it. So good.

So, that said, my version of broccoli cheese and rice casserole has crackers on top.

Variations on broccoli cheese and rice casserole:

It’s also stuffed with either rice or chicken (sometimes both, with a bit of extra cheese to bind). Often, I find myself with a random 1/2 cup of wild rice in the bottom of the mason jar, and I’ve used that, too. Basically, I want you to take this base for broccoli cheese  and rice casserole for two and add whatever your Mom added when you were a kid: chopped chicken, white rice, nothing but cheese, whatever.

If you made my small-batch Tater Tot Casserole
, you’ll recognize the homemade cream of mushroom soup here again. Like I said last time, you can definitely substitute a can of the store-bought stuff. The homemade recipe makes about the same amount as the can, 10 ounces or so.

It’s your choice. I love a good homemade condensed soup, though. So thick and creamy!

One final note: I use raw broccoli chopped finely in the casserole because I love for the broccoli to still have some bite after baking in the oven, but you could lightly steam it first if you want the classic soft and creamy casserole filling.

I used two of these small10-ounce ramekins
to make this casserole for two, but any small baking dish would work, too. The 10-ounce ramekin is the classic size for individual soufflés, if you have any of those in your kitchen!

I hope this broccoli cheese and rice casserole for two is so comforting and delicious to you! Let me know if you make it in the comments below!

Yield: 2

Dinner for Two: Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli (small florets)
• 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken (or cooked rice, your choice!)
• ~10 Ritz crackers, crushed

Instructions

2. Preheat the oven to 350, and have ready two 10-ounce ramekins, or an alternate small casserole dish that holds about 2 cups of liquid.
3. Make the homemade condensed soup: In a skillet over medium add 2 tablespoons of the butter, mushrooms, onion and thyme. Saute until the onions begin to soften, about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the salt and pepper.
4. Next, sprinkle the flour on top and stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the milk and cream, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
6. Turn off the heat to the sauce.
7. In a bowl, combine the cheese, raw broccoli florets, and chicken or rice.
8. Pour the mixture into the ramekins.
9. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Combine it with the crushed crackers. Divide the cracker mixture between the two ramekins.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbling around the edges.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:

Calories:
1523

Total Fat:
122g

Saturated Fat:
71g

Cholesterol:
339mg

Sodium:
3196mg

Carbohydrates:
55g

Sugar:
13g

Protein:
55g

• Variations on broccoli cheese and rice casserole: