Broccoli Cheese & Rice Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups cooked rice, packed cups
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup mushroom, chopped
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease 9 x 13 pan.
• 2 saute onion and celery in butter in a large skillet over medium heat till clear. add mushrooms and saute till soft.
• 3 add flour to skillet and stir to make a blond colored roux. slowly add cream and milk, stirring to incorporate well. using a whisk makes this quicker. add basil, thyme and parsley and salt & pepper to taste. cook over medium heat until thickened.
• 4 meanwhile, blanch the broccoli by adding it to a pot of boiling water for no more than 2 minutes. this keeps the bright green color.
• 5 in a large bowl, mix broccoli, rice, onion & mushrooms sauce, & cheese. add chicken broth if mixture seems dry. season with salt and pepper and tabasco sauce to taste.
• 6 pour into greased casserole dish. cover with bread crumbs.
• 7 bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly all the way through.