This gluten free broccoli casserole made with Boursin cheese is super creamy without being too heavy and has tons of garlic and herb flavor. This side dish can easily be a main meal for any vegetarian friends, or sit next to a turkey or roasted chicken for a holiday meal.
A Boursin Cheese Recipe
It's here. The final holiday recipe I have for you! And it's a good one, folks. Of course I couldn't get away with not making my best friend's favorite dish. Since she has been testing my Dizzy Cook Mac & Cheese out on her coworkers and friends, I owe her a big one. I can't say that I've ever made a Broccoli Rice Casserole for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Clearly I was always focused on green bean casserole, but apparently this is huge tradition in some families. Is it for yours? Would love to hear what your family food traditions are!
However, the second I tasted this it instantly brought back childhood memories of going to a place in Austin called Threadgill's. I can't, for the life of me, remember what else I ate there, but it was like a rush of nostalgia to eat this meal! I remember going to visit my grandma, an 8 hour drive with a makeshift TV hooked in to our cigarette lighter. Man, these kids have it so good these days with their fancy built in screens and iPads. For some reason when we got to stop in Austin, we always stopped here. It was probably for their broccoli rice casserole.
So naturally I looked up the recipe after I made mine and it is not at all the same. Of course theirs has Velveeta and lots of MSG-filled cream of mushroom soup. That's probably why it was so deliciously addicting! Anyway, if you're looking for a knockoff of Threadgill's broccoli rice casserole that's a lot healthier you can give this guy a try.
For this broccoli recipe casserole you will be using Boursin garlic and herb cheese and this stock.
If you're following a migraine diet, make sure you purchase the garlic and herb Boursin cheese.
Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole
To make this broccoli casserole gluten free, it's pretty simple. All you have to do is get gluten free panko. Some of my favorites are Aleia’s and Jeff’s Creations. The rice combination you use should be naturally gluten free.
How to Make Broccoli Rice Casserole
This recipe is fairly straight forward. You can use leftover, pre-cooked brown rice or make it just before baking. You'll also start out by parboiling the broccoli just enough to get it really green and softened a bit, but not all the way cooked through since it will be baked in the oven. After that you'll saute shallots and garlic in butter and then toss with flour, using rice flour for a gluten free version.
Using a whisk and stirring continuously, you'll add your broth and milk in slowly until the flour dissolves and becomes smooth. From there you'll remove your pan from the heat and stir in the Boursin cheese, which should melt slowly since the milk/broth mixture is still warm. You can taste the sauce and adjust any seasonings, adding kosher salt and pepper.
Finally you'll just combine everything together in a large roasting pan, top with panko, and bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Simple, right?! It's probably one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes just because it's so easy.
Other Migraine-Friendly Holiday Recipes
Here's my Thanksgiving Recipe Round Up which will hopefully make your life a little bit easier.
Breakfast
- Jennifer's Cranberry and Pomegranate Muffins (made ahead)
Appetizers
- Ricotta and Squash Toasts
- Artichoke Hummus Dip
- Radishes with Herbed Butter
The Big Meal
- Cornbread
- Green Bean Casserole
- Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
- Stuffing Balls
- Pumpkin Sage Pasta (for a great mac and cheese substitute)
- Simple Salad with Homemade Dressing or Ranch Dressing
- Roasted Carrot and Arugula Salad (great for any vegetarians at your table!)
- Whole Roasted Chicken with Gravy OR Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Dessert
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Snickerdoodles
- Allergy Friendly Frozen Pumpkin Pies
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
Boursin Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups pre-cooked brown rice * I added this 30 min into your prep time. Follow your rice package directions.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 12 oz fresh broccoli florets
- 1 5oz Boursin garlic and herb cheese package
- ½ cup panko
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Remove broccoli immediately (drain hot water), and run under cold water. Pat dry.
- In a large saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter or olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add flour and stir to combine. Slowly add in your broth, whisking as you add it. Then add in your milk a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition to make sure it smooths out. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in your Boursin cheese block. Taste the sauce to make sure you like the seasonings and add a little kosher salt and pepper.
- Stir in the broccoli florets and rice. Place mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish (or something similar). Top with panko. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until panko is lightly browned on top.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free, use rice flour instead of the all purpose and substitute gluten free panko. My favorite is Jeff's Creations.
New family favorite. Used bone in chicken breast to make a pot of stock. Shedded the cooked chicken to add to the casserole for a main dish. Delicious and satisfying. Thank you!
This is such a favorite side to make when people come over! I actually prefer it to be heavy on the garlic side, so we omit the shallot in the recipe. It’s still so yummy! I’ve made it with some chicken before too, so we could have it as a main dish and it was delicious.
Can you use the Boursin shallot and chives instead of the garlic and herb?
You can but it will be very strong on the shallot flavor!! Maybe cut back on the shallots you use.
Sounds good. Thank you!
I ended up using half garlic & herb (that's what I had on hand) and half shallot and chive boursin... delicious! I did cut the shallots called for in the recipe in half so the shallot flavor wasn't overpowering. I had a lot of brown rice leftover from a different recipe and this was a perfect way to use it up 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Great adjustments! I love that shallot boursin too.
A family favorite in my house (including teenagers and a toddler!). I did tweak the panko topping by mixing it with paprika and melted butter before sprinkling on top. That's from a mac n cheese recipe topping I've used. I thought the plain panko was missing something the first time I made this so I did that to the topping the second time around and now I make it that way. Thanks for this recipe! It's a fantastic and delicious way to get my kids to eat broccoli!
Sounds amazing!
Do you think you could make this ahead of the day? Hoping to cook food 2 days before it's needed. Thanks ????
Yes, of course! You can cook the rice and the sauce/broccoli then store separately and assemble/bake that day. I do find that rice absorbs moisture, so you'll at least want to wait to combine that.
This was delicious and comforting without being heavy. I'll definitely be making it again!
Thanks, Laurel!