Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole - 100 Days of Real Food

This recipe was listed in the book with a quote from the author's daughter saying she loves the casserole and it should be in the cookbook. I have two children who are not big fans of broccoli, in fact, Bear has been caught feeding his broccoli to the dog under the table when no one is looking. So I thought we would give it a try and see if it improved their feelings toward the vegetable. We do tend to serve broccoli about once a week anyway in our rotation of vegetables, so they see it regularly.

We also tend to do different brown rice side dishes, so it is nice to find something new to put in the rotation once in a while too. We like cheese, we like rice, Big Man, Hubby and I enjoy broccoli, so I thought it would go over fairly well. I served this alongside the crockpot chicken that I made to get some vegetables and grains in the meal.

In this recipe, one big difference was that it lists the rice as an ingredient already cooked to package directions and the broccoli already having been steamed. For me, this is misleading as far as timing is concerned to make the recipe. When I need to plan to make a recipe I need to know how far ahead to start making something, and brown rice can take a long time to cook. So I do not feel that the time given for this recipe was accurate.

Timing: Recipe States:  less than 30 minutes, My Actual Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Servings: Recipe States: 4 or 5 servings, For My Family: 7 or 8 servings
Leftovers: There was plenty of the casserole for leftovers, in fact in the future if I didn't want leftovers I may cut the recipe in half, or half the rice portion and increase the broccoli to get more vegetables in the meal. The leftovers also tasted great. It did not dry out like some casseroles do, but was still a very nice side dish the next day for lunch.


Family Ratings:
Me: I enjoyed this casserole a lot and thought it would be a great new family meal item.
Hubby: He also enjoyed it a lot, but he likes broccoli, cheese, and rice, so no-brainer here.
Big Man: He ate it with no argument, but said that he did not ever want to eat it again.
Bear: There was much arguing, complaining, and gnashing of teeth from this son upon seeing the casserole. When it was being served he said, "Don't give me any broccoli in mine." Of course that didn't happen. The only reason he ate his small serving was so he didn't have to go to bed early and miss Awana that night.
Mr. T: The youngest heard his brother's complaints and jumped on the bandwagon. There was a lot of whining at dinner the night this was served. He ate his serving, but had to stay home from his usual night out with Dad because of too much complaining.

Will I repeat: Hubby and I both said we thought it was great and would like to add it to our regular rotation, but with the amount of complaining we had to deal with we didn't feel like it was worth serving again. Since we have other sides the boys will eat without complaint.

What will I change: I wouldn't have to change a thing if I were to make this recipe again. I would consider making the ratio of broccoli to rice higher to include more vegetables in my meal, but not because of flavor.