Broccoli Casserole

One of my favorite things about living in the South is the cuisine by far. Food is done well here, even at chain restaurants and fast food restaurants. It was here in North Carolina that I first visited Cheddar’s restaurant and had their infamous broccoli cheddar casserole. I was in love with it at first bite, and set out to make it myself. 

Unfortunately, this recipe is not a copycat of Cheddar’s casserole, but it is still a pretty good casserole recipe. It has a great, earthy flavor from the mushroom soup, balanced well by the sharpness from the cheddar cheese. I always use Cabot cheddar cheeses, my personal favorite being their Seriously Sharp Cheddar. Mixing the soup with cream thins out the thick, condensed soup but still allows it to emulsify the casserole. It is cheesy and delicious, buttery and well textured. Sure to be a hit for the whole family.

Yield: 10 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb frozen broccoli, thawed, drained, and cut into small pieces
1 cup cooked rice
1 10.5oz can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup half and half
12oz shredded cheddar
6 tbsp butter, divided
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt, black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the can of soup and half and half, then heat over medium-low heat. 
3. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli, rice, melted butter, and seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper). Stir in the heated soup mixture; salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Fold in the shredded cheese and ensure the casserole mixture is combined well. Pour into a greased casserole dish.
5. Crush up Ritz crackers and place into small mixing bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and pour into crushed crackers. Add in Parmesan cheese and stir together. 
6. Sprinkle Ritz cracker mixture on top of casserole. Place in oven and let bake for 30-35 minutes. The cracker mixture will be a golden brown.

Recipe Tips

• You can use fresh broccoli for this recipe. It will need to be steamed, then cut into small pieces. 
• For a cheesier casserole, substitute the cream of mushroom soup for cream of cheddar soup.  
• Ritz crackers have a very buttery taste. For a milder topping, substitute oyster or saltine crackers.