No Cheese-Whiz Broccoli Rice Casserole

jaynine's Note:

I don't like using Cheese Whiz in casseroles, so I wouldn't make this until my sister-in-law served it one night. No Cheese Whiz, just real cheddar cheese. Delicious, and kid-friendly.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped broccoli , thawed
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 (10 ¾ ounce) cans cream of chicken soup (or you use 1 can each cream of chicken and cream of mushroom)
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Cook onion in butter in large skillet until soft.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook just until cheese is melted.
3. Put in 2 quart casserole dish.
4. Bake at 350 (uncovered) for 1 hour.
5. To make ahead and freeze: Mix all ingredients together (start with your rice cooked, not raw) and spoon into two or even three smaller casserole dishes, cover, label and freeze. If you thaw overnight, just cook the one hour. If cooking from frozen state, add ten minutes or so, check for doneness. Many thanks to Tornado Ali, for her wonderful tips for freezing this.

Reviews

[Jean in Alvin]

This is really 4.5 stars. I add a dash of cayenne pepper and use really sharp cheese. Don't over cook the rice. It makes a big, big difference.

[Chef #1354146]

Going to give this a 5 because it was a great base, after reading reviews I did add the following: 2 oz of cheese (bringing the total to 10 oz) (we also used White Extra sharp cheddar cheese), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. I did use cream of mushroom. Baked it for exactly what it said. Yum!

[Faux Chef Lael]

DH really loved this, almost as much as his favorite, Pepsi Pork Roast(recipe#:13269). I used extra sharp cheddar and about a cup of Velveeta (cubed). For the rice, I used 2 boxes (approx 5 cups cooked)of Uncle Bens Wild Rice, with the seasoning packets, which added a lot of extra flavor. Served with Awesome Baked Pork Chops (recipe#:34499) which was also really delicious.