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Momma's Love Casserole

CasseroleChickenDiner-Style
Time :1 hour 5 minutes
Yield :8 servings
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Momma always wanted us to eat our vegetables and worked for a long time to make vegetables appealing to us. What she created was a dish that we still love whenever we want to make our greens exciting: Momma's Love Casserole. This refreshing broccoli and hearty mushroom casserole is just loaded with all the things to make veggies cool: melty cheese, buttery crunchy breadcrumbs, and tender rice! Savory and scrumptious, Momma's Love Casserole really does taste like love!
Momma always wanted us to eat our vegetables and worked for a long time to make vegetables appealing to us. What she created was a dish that we still love whenever we want to make our greens exciting: Momma's Love Casserole. This refreshing broccoli and hearty mushroom casserole is just loaded with all the things to make veggies cool: melty cheese, buttery crunchy breadcrumbs, and tender rice! Savory and scrumptious, Momma's Love Casserole really does taste like love!

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese shredded and divided
  • 3 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 fresh thyme sprig
  • 2 cups onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery diced
  • 1 (8-ounce) package sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • black pepper to taste
  • ground red pepper to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
  • 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.
  • Combine the melted butter with the panko breadcrumbs and 1 cup of the cheddar, tossing to coat.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the broth, the milk, the bay leaf, and the thyme sprig.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.
  • Cover the saucepan and keep the mixture warm until ready to use.
  • In a large, shallow Dutch oven or an ovenproof skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter.
  • Add the onion and the celery to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper to the Dutch oven.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic to the mushroom mixture and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
  • Stir the flour into the mushroom mixture until combined. Don't worry if the mixture seems dry.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaf and the thyme sprig from the broth mixture.
  • Gradually stir the broth mixture into the mushroom mixture.
  • Add the remaining cheese into the broth and mushroom mixture and stir until well-blended and smooth.
  • Stir in the rice, the sour cream, the mayo, and the nutmeg.
  • Cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid.
  • Bake until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes.
  • Transfer the Dutch over from the oven.
  • Turn on the broiler.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the broccoli, the water, and the remaining salt.
  • Cover the bowl and microwave until the broccoli is tender and bright green, about 2 minutes on high power.
  • Drain the broccoli and pat it dry.
  • Stir the broccoli into the rice mixture in the Dutch oven.
  • Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the broccoli mixture.
  • Place the Dutch oven on the middle oven rack and broil until the topping is golden-brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes.
  • Serve.
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