Broccoli and Rice Casserole ~
Fresh broccoli and fluffy rice are combined with homemade vegan cheese sauce then baked until bubbly for an easy and comforting meatless main or side dish!
Ingredients for Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon vegan butter, divided
- 1/2 cup yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper – optional
- 1 1/2 cups mild-flavored plant milk, such as oat or unsweetened almond
- 1/2 cup vegan chicken-style broth
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
How to Make Broccoli and Rice Casserole
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
STEP TWO: Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside.
STEP THREE: To blanch the broccoli, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, until bright green in color. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Set aside to dry.
STEP FOUR: Into a large bowl, add the cooked rice, blanched broccoli, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Gently stir just until combined.
STEP FIVE: Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter, add the onion. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds.
STEP SIX: Whisk in the flour; the mixture will be thick.
STEP SEVEN: Season with salt, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using.
STEP EIGHT: Gradually add the milk and broth, whisking continuously until the consistency is smooth.
STEP NINE: Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
STEP TEN: Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Continue stirring until the cheeses are melted.
STEP ELEVEN: Pour the cheese sauce over the rice/broccoli mixture, stirring gently just until fully coated.
STEP TWELVE: Spread the mixture into a greased 8×8-inch casserole dish.
STEP THIRTEEN: Into a small skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted, add the Panko breadcrumbs. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently just until lightly toasted. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs in an even layer over the casserole mixture.
STEP FOURTEEN: Bake for 35 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges, then serve hot.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Quick Tip For Success
Be gentle with the rice!
By all means, resist the urge to get aggressive when stirring the rice.
Over-stirring can cause the rice to release too much of its natural starches and become sticky. For this recipe, we want to keep the rice nice and fluffy!
More Casserole Recipes You’ll Love!
- Cowboy Casserole
- Yellow Squash Casserole
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Sausage and Mushroom Pasta Bake
- Vegan Chili Mac Casserole
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Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon vegan butter divided
- 1/2 cup yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 1/2 cups mild-flavored plant milk such as oat or unsweetened almond
- 1/2 cup vegan chicken-style broth
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside.
- To blanch the broccoli, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, until bright green in color. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Set aside to dry.
- Into a large bowl, add the cooked rice, blanched broccoli, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Gently stir just until combined.
- Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter, add the onion. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the flour; the mixture will be thick.
- Season with salt, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper, if using.
- Gradually add the milk and broth, whisking continuously until the consistency is smooth.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Stir in 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Continue stirring until the cheeses are melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the rice/broccoli mixture, stirring gently just until fully coated.
- Spread the mixture into a greased 8×8-inch casserole dish.
- Into a small skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted, add the Panko breadcrumbs. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently just until lightly toasted. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs in an even layer over the casserole mixture.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges, then serve hot.
Daniela
used gf flour and bread crumbs and it turned out so good! thank you for this easy dinner idea
Kayla DiMaggio
I grew up eating broccoli rice casserole and this tasted just like what I grew up eating but it was easy and plant-based. I loved how there was no condensed soup, so much healthier!
Tavo
I loved the recipe! Made it tonight and really enjoyed it!
Anaiah
Broccoli and rice casserole is new to me but I am so happy I tried your recipe. It makes the perfect family dinner idea and is so simple to put together. I love the flavors in this!
Andrea White
What casserole! This looks so good!
Gina
Being from the south we love a good casserole. This casserole did not disappoint! So good!
Andrea
this casserole dish is so so good! such a yummy and easy dinner dish for the weeknights!
Lisa
I want to try this but unless I’m reading it wrong I can’t find a temperature that you bake this at.
thiswifecooks
Hi Lisa ~ This casserole should be baked at 350°F. It’s listed in step #1 in the body of the post but was not on the printable recipe card. I’ve updated the recipe card to include this information. Good catch – thank you! 🙂
Debra Njai
It sure did not fit into a 8×8 with all that rice and broccoli.
thiswifecooks
Hii Debra ~ I have never had an issue with using an 8×8 baking dish for this recipe. The broccoli does need to be finely chopped so maybe that was it. I hope you enjoyed the casserole! 🙂
mallory
100% recommend. I grew up in the south and broccoli and rice casserole was a staple. I haven’t attempted to veganize it yet myself so when I ran across this I knew I had to try it. This recipe is dead on. I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
thiswifecooks
Hi Mallory ~ You just made my day! Thank you so much! 🥰
Karen
This dish was so, so good. I had seconds I didn’t need just because it was so tasty. It is really wonderful to find a recipe that just works. This is a keeper and will be going in my family cookbook. The only changes I made were to use regular cheeses and tossed in a can of garbanzo beans to up the protein. I will be making this again and again.
Tristan
Flavorless
thiswifecooks
Sorry to hear you didn’t like the rice. I’m curious what went wrong… did you use all the ingredients?