The whole family will love this broccoli cheese casserole! It’s made with just 8 ingredients, and is ready to serve in an hour. Enjoy!
Best Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Broccoli and cheese anything is a fan favorite and that is why we decided to turn it into a delicious cheesy casserole!
Broccoli cheese casserole is made with the base of broccoli and white rice and then mixes in an epic cheese sauce made from cheddar cheese AND Cheez Whiz AND cream cheese.
What makes our recipe so special is that there is no need to precook the broccoli or the rice! Everything cooks together right in your casserole dish making this the best broccoli cheese casserole recipe on the internet.
Why you’ll love it!
Epic cheese sauce: the cheese sauce for this broccoli cheese casserole is SO creamy and cheesy thanks to shredded cheddar, cream cheese and Cheez Whiz!
No cream of mushroom soup: that is right! There is no cream of mushroom soup OR cream of chicken soup involved in this popular casserole.
Serves a crowd: looking to serve a crowd or a big family. This is your meal!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole Ingredients
- Cheez Whiz: a jar of Cheez Whiz is preferred, but if you can’t find it, you can use 2 cups of our Velveeta cheese sauce.
- cream cheese: softened cream cheese gets folded into the cheese sauce. Yum!
- instant white rice: we love making casseroles with instant white rice because it cooks quickly and you don’t need as much liquid.
- broth: any kind of broth will work for this recipe. We used chicken broth, but you can use beef broth or even vegetable broth.
- veggies: we made our recipe with broccoli florets and yellow onion. We kept things really simple.
- salt: make sure to salt to taste.
- butter: you’ll sauté the onion in butter for a deliciously rich flavor.
- cheddar cheese: we recommend shredding your own cheese because freshly shredded cheddar cheese always melts best.
quick tip: add more veggies!
If you have other veggies on hand, you can absolutely use them in your casserole. Here are some other options to add:
- mushrooms
- bell pepper
- shallot
- sweet potato
- potato
Get More
Cheddar Cheese Recipes
Looking for more recipes with cheddar cheese? Check out our cheesy collection of cheddar cheese recipes.
Ingredient Swaps
Rice – option to use minute/instant brown rice instead of white. They both cook the same! Do note that we do NOT recommend normal white or brown rice. These cook times do not work for this casserole.
Cheese – we used an orange shredded cheddar cheese, but really 1 cup of any kind of shredded cheese works. Here are some suggestions:
- gouda
- white cheddar
- Colby jack
- Mexican cheddar
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Keep scrolling to get the full broccoli cheese casserole recipe in our recipe card below!
Preheat & Prep
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Saute Onions
Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat, and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion to the skillet. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions have become soft and translucent.
Make Cheese Sauce
Add the cheez whiz, cream cheese, and broth to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until a smooth sauce is formed.
Mix Everything Together
Add the onion and butter, frozen broccoli, and rice to the bowl and mix until everything is well coated. Transfer the broccoli rice mixture to the casserole dish.
Bake & Enjoy
Bake for 30 minutes. Then add the cheddar cheese to the top, and bake for another 30 minutes. Allow 10 minutes of rest time before serving. Enjoy!
Do you have to cook broccoli before putting it in a casserole?
In many casseroles, you do have to cook the broccoli first, but in this one, you do not because it will cook as the casserole bakes.
Can you freeze broccoli and cheese casserole?
- To freeze broccoli cheese casserole, cook as directed, but make sure to use a disposable casserole dish.
- Then, let cool completely.
- Cover casserole with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing it into the top of the casserole. Then, cover that with a piece of tin foil.
- Remove as much air as possible and then write the date on the top.
- Will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to reheat a frozen casserole
To reheat, let the casserole thaw completely. Then, bake at 350ºF for 30-60 minutes or until hot in the center.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 1 10 oz. jar Cheez Whiz
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 10 oz. bags frozen broccoli
- 1.5 cups white minute rice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese ~1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion to the skillet. Sautee for 2-3 minutes or until the onions have become soft and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the cheez whiz, cream cheese, and broth to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix until a smooth sauce is formed.
- Add the onion and butter, frozen broccoli, and rice to the bowl and mix until everything is well coated. Transfer the broccoli rice mixture to the casserole dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Then add the cheddar cheese to the top. Bake for another 30 minutes.
- Allow 10 minutes of rest time before serving.
