Growing up Southern means growing up with casseroles. I just don’t know a way around it – if you’re from down here, you know your way around a casserole. They’re brought to school events, laid across tables at church picnics and homecomings. When a woman has a baby, her loved ones will hopefully fill up her freezer with a few to help out during those hectic and sleepless first weeks. When someone passes away, the fridge of those left will be filled with various dishes of pasta and rice, chicken and vegetables, names written on a little Scotch tape on the bottoms.
This dish is a childhood favorite of mine. Often, I didn’t want to eat meat as a kid (and still don’t eat a whole lot of it), so there have been many nights where this was my main dish. It’s hearty, with rice and broccoli, and super satisfying with its creamy texture and tangy cheddar. My version of this Church Rice with Broccoli and Cheese is completely homemade and vegetarian with a gluten-free option as well.
Ingredients for Church Rice with Broccoli and Cheese
You have a few options when it comes to the ingredients for this dish including ways to make it non-vegetarian and also gluten-free.
- Rice: Cooked rice is called for in this dish. Leftover rice is perfect for this! You can use white, basmati, jasmine, or brown rice. I wouldn’t use a flavored rice unless you adjust your salt and herb usage too.
- Flour: To make the sauce, you will make a roux. I use AP flour here, but if you want a gluten-free dish, just use a GF flour that you like best.
- Broccoli: I call for fresh broccoli here, but you could easily use frozen chopped broccoli. When you cook the broccoli and onions, just allow for a little extra time to cook all that moisture out and heat the broccoli all the way through.
- Sauce: There are plenty of recipes that call for canned condensed soup, but this is not one of them. I don’t hate on those shortcuts, but I don’t prefer them. If you want to use one, you could use the proportions of broccoli, rice, herbs, and cheese in this recipe, mix everything with the soup, and top with cheese.
Making the White Sauce
The most challenging part of this recipe is making the sauce because it starts with a roux. Rouxes are needy, but they’re not really challenging. They just take patience and attention.
My favorite method is to cook the onion in olive oil until they’re translucent, then scoot them to the edges of the pan and make the roux in the middle. You will add the butter to the empty middle, let it melt, then add the flour and start whisking. You don’t have to brown the roux too long in the recipe, so you can whisk the roux in the middle before adding the onions back. The most important thing is to constantly whisk it and make sure the consistency is smooth with no lumps.
If making the sauce in the same pan as the broccoli and onions feels wrong to you, never fear! Simply cook those through, put them in a bowl, return the skillet to the heat, and begin making your sauce from there.
Storing your Church Rice with Broccoli and Cheese
This casserole keeps beautifully. You can make it one day ahead and keep it in the fridge before cooking. You can keep it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days after it is cooked. It also freezes beautifully for about 3 months.
Church Rice with Broccoli and Cheese
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2.5 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups milk, whole or 2%
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons AP flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 glass or ceramic casserole dish with nonstick spray or butter your dish.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.
- Add the chopped onion, sprinkling with a bit of salt, and cooking until translucent.
- Add the broccoli, cooking until fork tender.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet and add the butter to the middle.
- Once the butter is melted, add the flour into the butter and begin whisking, making sure to leave the vegetables to the sides. Whisk and cook the roux until it is glossy and light brown.
- Add the dried herbs to the roux. Add black pepper to taste, then whisk in the milk by pouring it slowly into the roux, whisking the entire time. Try to stay in the middle, but it is okay if some of the vegetables start creeping into the mix.
- Add in 2 cups of the shredded cheese, handful by handful, whisking after each one until the cheese is melted and incorporated.
- Once the cheese is completely incorporated, whisk all the vegetables and sauce together to combine. Remove from the heat.
- Add your rice to the skillet, stirring well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, packing the rice down into the dish. You want the mixture to be pressed into the dish, not loosely piled.
- Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil. You might spray the inside of the foil with a bit of nonstick spray if you're worried the cheese will stick to it.
- Bake, covered, for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove the tin foil and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is browned, bubbly, and delicious.
It looks heavenly to me 😆
Delish! Comfort food!
Comfort food is the best food, right!
This looks delicious! I like how you give different options of ingredients that we can use. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing!!!
Definitely make this your own!! <3
Yum! I am making freezer meals in preparation for our 4th baby and this looks delightful and comforting! Thank you for sharing!
Congrats!! This would be a great easy meal for the family. If you freeze it and have it later, let me know how it goes! <3