Broccoli Casserole is a cheesy and filling side dish made with broccoli, mushroom soup, mayonnaise and cheese that is an easy, filling and hearty side dish for a crowd.
We love easy side dishes for a crowd like mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, and cole slaw.
Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli Casserole was a recipe I first came across while going through a magazine. It was different than the kinds of recipes I’d had as a kid but it sounded so warm and comforting. It’s like the broccoli version of green bean casserole.
I’ve made it with both homemade condensed mushroom soup and pre-made mushroom soup, I’ve added chicken and turkey to it in the past to make it a one stop dinner. I’ve made it with all different kinds of cheeses instead of just cheddar cheese. The base is a great idea for a casserole dish.
The one thing I don’t change is using fresh broccoli. I think if you swap out frozen broccoli in this recipe the quality of the recipe will suffer quite a bit.
Now, please understand this, I am not trying to tell you that you can’t do it. You of course can, and if you have it on hand go for it. But the flavor and texture difference will be a big one and let me tell you why.
When broccoli is frozen the breakdown of it’s texture is pretty significant. The stalk of frozen broccoli is always shaved off so once it’s been frozen and thawed back out again its basically softened to the point of having no texture. The florets are also soggier in frozen broccoli.
Probably the most important reason I don’t use frozen broccoli, it tends to be cuts of broccoli that are pretty chopped up and small. No matter which brand I look for, I find myself disappointed in the cuts of florets.
I normally buy broccoli crowns when making this recipe, then shave just the outest layer of the stalk off, leaving a bit of it behind.
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What kind of cheese can you use in the casserole?
The recipe calls for cheddar but I have used mozzarella, cream cheese, pepperjack, provolone and my favorite swap extra sharp cheddar cheese, which is just a ton more flavor for the same amount of calories.
Can you make-ahead Broccoli Casserole?
Yes, you can do everything except add the remaining cheese and crackers to the dish before the baking step. If you add those too early the cheese will absorb the liquid of the dish and it won’t melt well and the crackers will become soggy instead of crisping up.
Tips for making Broccoli Casserole:
- My go-to for making recipes that call for cheddar cheese with extra sharp or sharp cheddar.
- Sometimes when a recipe calls for mushroom soup I also like to add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms that I cook in some butter.
- If you don’t want to use ritz crackers you can also swap them out for some panko bread crumbs you’ve sauteed in butter.
- If you want to skip the mayonnaise you can use sour cream instead.
- If you don’t want to use broccoli you can make this into a cauliflower gratin using cauliflower and cream of cheddar soup instead.
Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 10 3/4 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated and divided
- 1 cup Ritz crackers finely crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place dripping wet broccoli florets and onion in a large microwave safe bowl and cover with wet paper towel and cook for 3 minutes.
- Drain the water from the bowl and add in the butter, mushroom soup, mayonnaise, eggs, salt, pepper and 1 cup of cheddar cheese and mix well.
Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheese and the crackers before baking for 30 minutes.
Could you use French fried onion in place of Ritz?
That sounds amazing!
Is there any way I could add rice and chicken to this recipe, or would that make it too dry a. Thank you.
Here’s the link to that recipe:
https://dev.dinnerthendessert.com/cheesy-chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole/
Sounds so yummy, but we are not mushroom lovers so can I use cream of chicken soup or any other cream soup?
Absolutely. You can put the cheesiness into overdrive by subbing in Cream of Cheddar.
Wonderful, delicious recipe! My husband is watching his weight , so I made a few changes to the recipe. I only used 1/4 cup mayo, and about 1 1/4 cups cheese. I did not add butter to the mixture, but instead I melted 1 T butter and mixed it with the breadcrumbs, and some grated parmesan cheese, before sprinkling them on top. I wanted to make it a meal, so I added chicken. It was fantastic! Thanks for this, and all of your other, great recipes.
You’re welcome, Kelly. Thanks for the 5 stars.
This sounds like a seriously yummy side dish to me, and I plan to make it in the very near future. In the meanwhile, is there a way to adjust this recipe, and add in some leftover (already cooked) chicken…. in order to make this a compete meal?
Of course, add it into the mixture and bake it all together. Easy peasy!
Miss Sabrina , Thank you for all your great recepies , I’m a single man who try to use all of you treat’s when I’m at home . I guess by now I have a whole botton shelf in my cubbard FILLED with spices 40 or more only used once , maybe I can find a pertner to help me use them up . Thank You foe all youe goodies. Denny Holloran.
My mom made a casserole very similar to this one using thawed frozen broccoli spears and we all loved it but lost the recipe. I think this recipe is so close to what we were looking for and tasted fantastic. Had golden mushroom soup and also drizzled butter over the crackers before baking. The mayo and sharp cheddar cheese adds that bit of zip needed to pull all the flavors together. Wont be losing this recipe! Made and reviewed for the What’s On The Menu tag game.
I was recently introduced to broccoli casserole and I’m obsessed!
Baked this for kids Christmas potluck! It was a hit. I added melted butter to the top on the crackers. They were to die for this way!
Thanks for the tip! So glad you all loved it!
Made it as written. My family loved it! Enough said!! ?
Thanks, KT!!
This casserole looks so good! I wish I was eating this for dinner today!
Thanks, Krista!
Oh my goodness, this look sensational! I will definitely have them on my table!
Thanks, Melanie!
This is seriously making me hungry! I know for sure this would be a huge hit in my house!
Enjoy!
This is absolutely incredible. I love this type of comfort food.
This would be a great dish to take to a potluck. I love that crunchy topping!
Perfect for a potluck!
My kids would definitely eat their broccoli if I presented it with this dish; looks delicious!
Oh yes, a great motivator!
Can I use frozen broccoli? Sounds amazing!
I don’t recommend it, sorry.