when i was growing up. my best friends mom would always make us a super cheesy broccoli rice casserole. it was so damn delicious. it was true comfort food. and i always loved when she would whip it up for us. it felt like home. it felt like sleepover goodness. it now feels super nostalgic.

that being said. it was not the healthiest of meals. it was loaded with velveeta cheese & canned soup. we did not know in the 90s what we know now. man oh man. i remember eating fat free snack well cookies. and fat free potato chips. what in the tarnation were those things made of? most definitely the opposite of whole food nutrition.

i am so grateful of the knowledge we all have now when it comes to the food we put in our bodies & what exactly our bodies need. hellooooo. we need good healthy fats. we do not need fat free. we need food that comes from the ground or comes from a mother. we do not need processed foods. anyways. I digress.

lets get back to the goodness that is broccoli casserole. in hopes of creating a super comforting meal for you all during this quarantine season. naturally. i remembered this dish & wanted to recreate it. recreate. but make it healthy-ish.

so i swapped out the velveeta for a block of organic whole milk cheddar cheese. i skipped the canned soup & opted for a made from scratch roux of organic grass fed butter & whole milk. i changed the white rice to brown rice. and ended up with a cleaned up version of that ridiculously delicious casserole.

and i am willing to stand my ground & tell you. i think my version is even tastier.

chicken broccoli & rice casserole.

• Author: Kristen Mills

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 rotisserie chickens. all the meat removed & chopped into bite sizes.

3 cups brown rice. cooked according to direction on box.

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup diced onion

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

1 block of extra sharp cheddar cheese. grate.

6 cups broccoli. chopped into bite size pieces

---

Instructions

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

boil a pot of water. drop the broccoli in for two minutes. they will turn bright green & cook about half way. they will cook the rest of the way in the oven. drain the broccoli & set aside.

in a pot. melt the butter. saute the onions until soft & translucent.

stir in the flour. garlic salt. & pepper. stir for two minutes.

slowly pour in the milk. whisking continually until it is thick & bubbly.

remove the pot from the heat.

add in the mustard. paprika. grated cheese. stir until the cheese is completely melted.

add the rice into the cheese mixture. add the broccoli into the mixture & gently fold it in to mix.

pour the entire mixture into a buttered baking dish. or individual ramekins. bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned.

 

allow this to cool. then enjoy! or freeze! when you are ready to eat, just heat them up!

---