One of the other reasons that I love making this broccoli cheese casserole for dinner and gatherings is how easy it is to prepare in advance. You can assemble the casserole and keep it in the fridge ahead of time or bake it first and reheat it later! It makes dinner time stress-free and simple. If you want another easy casserole recipe for dinner, then try my chicken casserole, tuna casserole, or chicken spaghetti recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Broccoli — I prefer fresh broccoli florets. Make sure to select broccoli with firm stems, crisp leaves, and tightly closed dark green buds. Cream of mushroom soup — this is a classic ingredient that creates the creamy base of the casserole. If you’re not a fan of cream of mushroom, you can use cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup. Mayonnaise — mayonnaise adds a delicious creamy texture to the casserole. You can use full-fat or light mayonnaise. Cheese — I use sharp cheddar cheese, but feel free to use your favorite cheese. Eggs — the eggs help the casseroles set and thicken the sauce. Onion — minced onion adds a delicious savory flavor to the casserole. Crackers — I use Ritz crackers, but any other buttery crackers will work as a casserole topping. Butter — the butter helps the cracker topping crisp up in the oven.
How to Make Broccoli Casserole
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the broccoli, and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and crisp-tender.
- Transfer the broccoli, using a slotted spoon, to the ice water. Let stand until cooled, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, stir together the broccoli, soup, mayo, cheese, eggs, onion, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.
- Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 13×9-inch casserole dish.
- Top the mixture evenly with crushed crackers.
- Drizzle evenly with melted butter and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the casserole is heated through. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
To help get the most water out of the broccoli, you can pat it dry with paper towels before adding it to the filling. Making sure the broccoli is dry prevents the casserole from becoming watery. Be mindful when cooking the broccoli not to overcook it. It should still be crisp-tender as it will cook more in the casserole. You don’t want it to become mushy. Have the ice water ready so you can stop the cooking process immediately. Allowing the broccoli cheese casserole to cool before cutting gives it time to set up. This makes serving much more manageable, so don’t skip this step. If you’re making this for a holiday gathering and want to double the recipe, use two baking dishes. If you prefer a broccoli casserole without Ritz crackers, you can substitute an equal amount of homemade or store-bought breadcrumbs for crushed Ritz cracker crumbs. Feel free to switch the cheddar cheese for your favorite melty cheese, such as mozzarella, Swiss, Gruyere, or pepper jack. All that cheesy goodness is what makes this such a delicious side dish. For variety, you can swap out some broccoli for cauliflower or make the dish even more filling with a cup of cooked white rice or ½ cup of diced cooked chicken or turkey.
If you’ve tried this easy Broccoli Casserole recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
