This was undoubtedly a comfort food for many of you growing up, as it was for me. Creamy and cheesy with just a hint of something green, but mostly rice and cheese. So all in all, the perfect vegetable dish. 😉 My mom made it a lot and sometimes I crave it but I’ve never made it myself.
A lot of recipes you see online call for cans of stuff, velveeta and things that just don’t seem like…food. Now, I’m not saying that the from-scratch version is any better for you, BUT it has all real ingredients and gives you a good feeling and that’s what makes the indulgence worth it. I decided one day I would make this dish and since I don’t keep any cream-of-whatever on hand, I made a simple bechemel (white gravy base) and added in lots of extra sharp cheddar. Each ingredient cooked separately in chicken stock to give lots of added flavor and the results were fabulous!
We still have lots of snow on the ground and the roads are hard to travel, so warm, cheesy dishes are the perfect meal to stay inside and enjoy. Be warm and well fed! 🙂
Cheesy Broccoli Rice
- 1 head broccoli, chopped small
- 2 cups chicken broth (although vegetable broth would enable the entire
- dish to be vegetarian)
- 1 cup white rice
- pinch of salt
- 4 TBS unsalted butter
- 4 TBS flour
- 1 cup whole milk (plus more to adjust consistency)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- salt and pepper to taste
- breadcrumbs and extra cheese for topping (I used crushed Ritz crackers)
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large, deep skillet, bring the broth to a boil and throw in the broccoli. Steam it with a lid covering until the broccoli is starting to get tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl. Add the rice to the broth and cook until tender (about 15-20 minutes). Dump rice into the bowl with the broccoli (it’s okay if there’s a little extra liquid).
Wipe the skillet clean and melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it’s all coated and bubbling, but not turning brown. Whisk in the milk and let it come back up to a boil, adding more splashes of milk to maintain a gravy-like consistency. I’m sorry I don’t have exact amounts, but it’s really an add enough until it looks right kinda thing. Stir in the cheddar and whisk until melted. Add more milk if it seems too thick. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper until it tastes right and then stir in the broccoli and rice. Top with breadcrumbs and extra cheese and melt in the oven until bubbling.
The Family Meal 