This Easy Broccoli Cheese Casserole is one of the best side dishes ever! It’s got tender broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce with buttery crackers mixed in and on top. Need I say more?
We’re in the home stretch, friends…Thanksgiving is just a few days away. If you’re looking for a last-minute easy, awesome side dish that everyone will love, give this Easy Broccoli Cheese Casserole a try. It’s a total crowd-pleaser!
The first time I had this broccoli casserole was many years ago when David and I first met and I was having Thanksgiving dinner with his family for the first time. His grandma Bertha made it, and it was sooo delicous!
It’s always been a tradition on his family’s Thanksgiving table. Everyone absolutely loves it, and now it’s a tradition on my Thanksgiving (and Christmas) table as well. It’s just not the holidays without it!
One taste, and you’ll know why!
The best part (besides eating it!) is that this cheesy broccoli casserole is super simple to make. You just chop some broccoli…
We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to tell you that we highly recommend watching or listening to Dana Carvey’s Chopping Broccoli song. One of the funniest things ever! If you’ve never heard it, you’re in for a real treat. If you have heard it, well, who can’t use a good laugh? It never ever gets old!
…mix it with Velveeta cheese and butter until melted, add some crushed Ritz crackers, top with more crackers, bake, and eat!
You can even assemble the casserole ahead of time so all you have to do is put it in the oven when you’re ready to make dinner. Nice!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Cooking spray
- Broccoli (I use fresh, but you could also use frozen)
- Velveeta cheese
- Butter
- Ritz crackers
- Salt and pepper
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE EASY BROCCOLI CHEESE CASSEROLE:
TIPS & TIDBITS:
- This recipe makes 6 servings. If you’ve got a larger crowd for a holiday dinner, I would definitely double the recipe. In fact, I would just go ahead and double the recipe anyway because it will go fast, and people always seem to want seconds!
- David’s grandma’s original recipe called for 2 10-ounce boxes of frozen chopped broccoli, which you could use if you prefer. You could also use frozen broccoli florets. I use fresh broccoli because it seems to hold its shape better once you start mixing everything together, and I like nice little chunks of broccoli in my casserole.
- To change things up a bit, you could use a mixture of cauliflower and broccoli – or you could just make it with all cauliflower. I’ve even used a broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix, and that was delicious as well. You really can’t lose!
- You can prep the casserole up to a day ahead of time – assemble, cover and refrigerate. Hold back on putting the crushed crackers on top until right before you put the casserole in the oven, though, so they don’t get soggy. Since the casserole will be cold, you will have to cook it a little longer. I usually take my casserole out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking to take a bit of the chill off.
This broccoli casserole is a great addition to any holiday table, but it’s an awesome side dish all year long. It’s just too good to eat only once or twice a year!
I hope you try this Easy Broccoli Cheese Casserole recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, everyone! I hope your day is filled with family, friends, and lots of delicious food!
Easy Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1¼ pounds fresh broccoli
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, about 30 crackers
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 1½-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Chop the broccoli into small florets. If using the stems, peel and chop them into small pieces.
- Cut the cheese into cubes.
- In a large pot or pan, cook the broccoli until tender; drain. You could boil it or steam it, whichever you prefer.
- Return the broccoli to the pot and add the butter and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted.
- Save about 5 of the crackers for the topping and then and crush the rest of them with your hands as you add them to the broccoli mixture; stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the broccoli mixture into the prepared baking dish. Crush the remaining crackers with your hands as you sprinkle them on top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and the topping is golden.
Notes
- You could use frozen broccoli if you prefer – Two 10-ounce boxes of chopped broccoli or one 20-ounce bag of broccoli florets.
- You can prep the casserole up to a day ahead of time. Assemble, cover and refrigerate. Hold back on adding the crackers on top until just before baking so that they don’t get soggy. Since the casserole will be cold, you will have to cook it a little longer. I take mine out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off a bit.
- You could change things up by using a mixture of cauliflower and broccoli (or you could use all cauliflower). I’ve also used a broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mixture, and it was delicious!
- Easy Classic Bread Stuffing
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- Easy Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
- Crustless Pumpkin Pie
If you made this or any of my other recipes, take a photo and tag @nowcookthis on Instagram and hashtag it #nowcookthisrecipes.
Looks delicious!! Do you ever use shredded Daiya cheese for anything? Just wondering how well it it melts and how good it tastes
Thank you! I have never used that cheese, so I can’t say how it melts or tastes.
If I m looking at this right, the recipe at the bottom says to steam the broccoli but in the pictures it shows steaming cauliflower and broccoli both? I m not a confident cook help!
Hello! The pictures actually only show broccoli. So sorry if it somehow looks to you like there is cauliflower there. There is only broccoli in this recipe. Hope that helps!
This looks delicious. However I am not sure how much broth to add or how much cheese? Did it say somewhere that I am not seeing? Thanks!! I would like to make it tonight with some baked chicken ?? Yummmmmm
Hello! There is no broth in this recipe. Please go to the recipe card, and you will find all of the ingredients and steps needed to make the recipe.
Put the veggies in a steamer basket and steam em for 3 to 4 minutes or so, just until they re nice and bright.
Tremendously yummy! Now taste it and make sure it s plenty flavorful, and add a little more of whatever it needs.
Thank you!
This was such a hit! My family loved this broccoli dish! I made this yesterday (11/19/20) as one of the sides for my Dad’s 63rd birthday “bbq rib” dinner! Broccoli-cheesy goodness! The Ritz crackers add great texture and buttery flavor! A family favorite now! Thank you!
Yay!! I am so happy that you all loved it and that it is now one of your favorites too! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Very happy to have found this recipe! My boyfriend always makes something similar for Thanksgiving but had to be out of town this year, so was happy to be able to make it myself. Turned out yummy, thank you! 🙂
Hi, Jessica! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the casserole! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
I don’t even recall the first time I had it, but it was life changing. It is not a holiday here without my broccoli/cheese casserole (if we’re going somewhere else to eat, it comes with us) I make it a bit differently. Yours seems easier, will be trying that in about an hour. I also love sharing the recipe, more than not, people ask for it after eating. Thanks for the new (to me) way to make it😉
Hey, Maureen! Yes, this stuff is the best! I’m really excited that you will be giving my version a try, and I sure hope that you like it just as much! I’d also love to know how you make it, because I’m always up for trying something new!