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Want to elevate your cheesy broccoli rice casserole with fresh broccoli? This recipe is for you! Completely homemade with brown rice, Boursin cheese, and broccoli, this casserole is ready in under 1 hour for the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.
By using fresh broccoli, brown rice, and making the Boursin cheese sauce from scratch – the flavors of this broccoli rice casserole are super rich and delicious. For just a little extra effort, you get a huge return on texture and flavor by skipping canned soups, watery frozen broccoli, and cheddar cheese.
A Quick Look: Broccoli Rice Casserole with Fresh Broccoli
- Cooking time: 40 minutes total, with 20 minutes of prep time.
- Servings – This will serve 6-8 people as a side dish, but can easily be adjusted.
- Ingredients: 10 main ingredients including cooked rice, fresh broccoli, Boursin cheese, and milk.
- When to serve: Holiday side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or a potluck.
- Dietary information: Fits a Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diet, Heal Your Headache, gluten free and dairy free with edits.
- Why you’ll love it: This broccoli rice casserole without soup is made from scratch with fresh broccoli instead of frozen and brown rice instead of white rice for perfect thick and creamy texture and more refined flavor. It’s also easy to make and prep for a holiday dinner.
I’ve tested so many cheesy broccoli rice casseroles and have found that Boursin cheese adds in flavor without having to measure a bunch of spices. It also reheats much creamier than cheddar cheese and mixes in better with the broccoli so the sauce is smooth and not clumpy.
If you’ve ever been to Threadgill’s in Austin, the flavors remind me a lot of their classic broccoli rice casserole – but with a twist! This is a perfect pairing with stuffing balls and cranberry sauce without orange, it can easily sit next to a roast turkey or cast iron roast chicken for Thanksgiving dinner.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on some of the ingredients with the full recipe and amounts in the card below.
- Broccoli – Use fresh broccoli florets – cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Brown rice – While you can use any kind of rice, I find brown rice adds more depth of flavor to the casserole, outside of just being more nutrient-rich. Use pre-cooked rice that’s on the dry side. So when you make it, reduce the water by 1/3 cup so it’s not as fluffy. Also use long-grain brown rice.
- Shallots – Shallots have a softer flavor than onions. Feel free to swap out the shallots with yellow onion if desired, but shallots will give you the best flavor overall.
- Milk – I prefer to use whole milk for the best, creamy texture, but any kind of milk will work in this recipe. You can also substitute half and half for a thicker, creamier casserole.
- Boursin cheese – Buy a 3 pack at Costco for the best price. Trader Joe’s also has a good deal on it. I recommend the Boursin Garlic and Herb, which was used in recipe testing. I also think the Shallot and Chive or Black Pepper would work too.
- Vegetable or chicken broth – Both work well here. I recommend a low sodium store-bought version or rotisserie chicken bone broth.
- Panko – Adds a great texture and crunch to the top of the casserole.
Substitutions & Variations
- Rice – White rice can be substituted for the brown rice. Long grain white rice (jasmine or basmati) is recommended over short grain like arborio, which is better in dishes like risotto. You can also use a wild rice blend for this, like Lundberg.
- Budget swap for Boursin – 6 ounces of whipped cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of dried or chopped chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, and 1 fresh garlic clove or a little bit of dried garlic powder.
- Gluten free – Use arrowroot powder or gluten free 1:1 flour to thicken the sauce.
- Dairy free – Boursin makes a great dairy-free option, found at Trader Joe’s and you can substitute the milk with oat milk.
How to Make Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400F / 200C. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add broccoli florets, cooking for 1 minute (this is called par-boiling). Drain the hot water, and run them under cool water, then pat dry and set aside.
Step 2: In a large saucepan, melt butter and olive oil then add shallots and garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the shallots and then slowly add in broth and milk, whisking a little bit at a time to make sure the roux is smooth. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Once the creamy sauce has thickened, whisk in the Boursin cheese off the heat. Taste the sauce and adjust any seasonings.
Step 4: Stir the broccoli florets and rice into the cheese sauce and quickly taste to add kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Then pour into a greased 8×8 casserole dish (or similar) and top with panko.
Step 5: Bake the broccoli rice casserole for about 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until it is completely warmed through and the panko is golden brown on top. If you need to help it brown more – broil on high for about 1 minute.
Expert Tips
- If you plan to make this Boursin cheese broccoli rice casserole ahead, the rice absorbs more liquid in storage and won’t be as creamy after a day or two. You can either make extra sauce or add in 1 more cup of broth or milk along with 1 tablespoon of extra flour.
- Because this casserole has a shorter cooking time, pre-blanching the broccoli helps to soften it before baking. You can use raw broccoli, but with a baking time of 30-35 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This broccoli rice casserole with fresh broccoli can be a full meal if you pair it with a simple green salad like this bibb lettuce salad. You can also add rotisserie chicken for a little extra protein.
It also works well with other Thanksgiving side dishes like bang bang brussels sprouts, chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, and slow cooker mac and cheese.
Meal Prep and Freezer Tips
While I feel like brown rice doesn’t freeze and reheat as well as white rice, I was very happy with how this froze. You can easily store this brown rice casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer storage – Cool the casserole and place into Souper Cubes freezer packs. Freeze until solid and then transfer them to a larger freezer bag (or continue to store in the containers).
- Thawing tips – Place the freezer bag in warm water, which should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to defrost. This can also be defrosted overnight in the fridge (this is the best way).
- Microwave – Reheat the casserole in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, till fully reheated.
- Oven – This is the best way to reheat the casserole. Cover the dish and bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe takes a lot of steps to prevent the casserole from being watery. By using fresh broccoli instead of frozen you’re cutting down on extra moisture. Dry the broccoli well and make sure to reduce the sauce to be thick enough to coat a spoon well before adding in the cheese.
Using long grain rice will help to keep the texture more firm when baked in the casserole. Pre-cook the rice till just soft, but don’t overcook it. It will continue to cook in the casserole.
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Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Fresh Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 cups pre-cooked, brown rice, long grain preferred for texture
- 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
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 12 oz fresh broccoli, cut into florets
- 5oz package Boursin cheese, garlic and herb preferred
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉/200℃. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Remove broccoli immediately and run under cold water. Drain completely and pat the broccoli dry with a towel.
- 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. Stir in flour to coat the shallots and garlic. Slowly pour in broth, whisking as you add it to remove any large clumps. Then pour in the milk a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition to make the sauce smooth. Bring the sauce to a brief boil over medium high heat, then immediately turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The sauce should thicken enough to coat a spoon well, or leave a line in the pan as you stir it.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the Boursin cheese till smooth. Taste the sauce, adjusting seasonings as needed.
- Stir in the broccoli florets and rice and do a quick taste, adding more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Place mixture into an 8×8 baking dish (casserole dish or similar). Top with panko breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 degrees ℉ for about 15-20 minutes, or until panko is lightly browned on top.
Notes
- White rice can be substituted for brown rice, or a wild rice blend. Use long grain rice for the best texture.
- Because this has a shorter baking time than other casserole recipes, we briefly cook the broccoli. If you want more of a crunch, you can add raw broccoli to the sauce and rice mixture, but it may take a little longer to cook in the oven.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use arrowroot powder or 1:1 flour instead of the all purpose and substitute gluten free panko.
- For dairy free, use oat milk and dairy free Boursin cheese as a substitute.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do you think about using frozen broccoli instead of the fresh? If so, how would I adapt the recipe?
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!