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Home / Broccoli and Cheese Casserole Recipe With Ritz Crackers

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole Recipe With Ritz Crackers

This BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE is total comfort food thanks to the melty cheese and crunchy buttery cracker topping. This broccoli casserole is made with fresh broccoli, but it's still super quick and easy to get in the oven.

Broccoli and cheese on a small white plate with a fork.

The one vegetable that my entire family eats without a single complaint is broccoli.

Actually, that's not totally true – we just converted my teenage daughter into a salad-eater. Not a salad-lover, but at least she'll eat it without complaints these days.

Anyway, broccoli is the 'safe' veggie in my house. I know that I can serve it up in just about any form and it will get eaten by the whole family. Every mom needs a vegetable like that, right? 🙂

I usually just steam the broccoli and we eat it with a little salt (I hear that's weird, but somehow my kids like it!), but every now and then I like to mix things up. This broccoli cheese casserole is always a hit, thanks to the melty cheese and Ritz cracker topping. Who can resist??

Broccoli on a wooden spoon.

How to make broccoli casserole:

I am not a fan of frozen broccoli, so I ALWAYS use fresh. It's just as simple if you buy a bag of already chopped broccoli florets in the produce section. Of course, you can always chop your broccoli yourself, if you're into that sort of thing.

Toss the broccoli florets into a large microwave-safe bowl and add 1/4 cup of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Let set for 2 minutes before carefully removing the covering. This gets the broccoli steamed a bit so that it cooks perfectly in the oven. Plus, the hot broccoli helps everything mix together easier.

ingredients for broccoli and cheese casserole

Drain out the liquid and then add in your cream soup – either chicken or mushroom. We don't love mushrooms in our house, so we use my cream of chicken soup substitute. You can use a can of cream of chicken or mushroom though, if you're short on time.

You'll also need some sour cream and shredded cheddar. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and then stir everything up to combine.

cheesy broccoli casserole ingredients

Add the broccoli to a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle with some crushed butter crackers, such as Ritz. Drizzle a little butter over the top.

This broccoli and cheese casserole bakes in about 30-40 minutes, depending on how soft you like your broccoli. We like a bit of crispness, so we pull this dish at the 30 minute mark, but if you like really soft veggies, keep on baking until it's where you want it.A close up of broccoli in a baking dish.

How I got my kids to like broccoli:

I'm a big believer that the key to getting kids to eat their veggies is to just keep offering them.

We have a 3 bite rule in our house and it's worked well for us. 1 bite to test, 1 bite to get used to the texture/flavor, 1 bite to be sure how they feel about it.

My kids don't love every veggie they try, but they ALWAYS try new foods without complaint (it took a while to get there) and they've learned so much about what they do/don't like.

For example, my daughter loves cauliflower with cheese, thinks it's fine as rice, but hates it roasted. She actually gets excited to try new foods these days and see what new recipes she'll enjoy. You should have seen her little face when she discovered how much she loved my cauliflower mac and cheese the first time I made it.

broccoli cheese casserole recipe

More broccoli recipes we love:

Chicken and Rice: One skillet and packed with veggies!

Penne Alfredo: Bacon, broccoli, pasta, and Alfredo – it doesn't get yummier than this!

Keto Broccoli Casserole: The low carb version of broccoli cheese casserole!

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup: Our go-to soup on busy nights!

A plate of food with broccoli and a baking dish with broccoli.

Broccoli Casserole Recipe:

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 35 minutes

Total 45 minutes

  • 32 ounces fresh broccoli florets
  • 10 ounces cream of chicken soup
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

  • Add the broccoli to a large microwave safe bowl along with ¼ cup of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 2 minutes.

  • Carefully remove the plastic wrap and drain the liquid.

  • Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the broccoli and stir well to combine.

  • Pour broccoli mixture into prepared baking dish.

  • Top with the cracker crumbs and drizzle with the melted butter.

  • Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until broccoli is as tender as you'd like and cheese is fully melted.

  • Serve immediately.

Cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup also works well in this recipe.

Serving: 1 | Calories: 165 kcal (8%) | Carbohydrates: 14 g (5%) | Protein: 4 g (8%) | Fat: 11 g (17%) | Saturated Fat: 5 g (31%) | Cholesterol: 20 mg (7%) | Sodium: 579 mg (25%) | Potassium: 344 mg (10%) | Fiber: 3 g (13%) | Sugar: 3 g (3%) | Vitamin A: 830 IU (17%) | Vitamin C: 81 mg (98%) | Calcium: 86 mg (9%) | Iron: 1 mg (6%)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy side dish recipes, easy Thanksgiving recipes, vegetables

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole Recipe With Ritz Crackers

Source: https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/broccoli-cheese-casserole/