Broccoli and Rice Casseroles

Has anyone tried this with riced cauliflower!

As other reviewers mentioned, the recipe as written results in a mixture that is far too dry. I had to add lots more milk and some sour cream to make it an appealing texture, blowing that whole low-cal thing. Once done, though, it was totally blah in taste. I should have suspected as much from a recipe that only seasons with salt and pepper. I have to believe there's a better broccoli/rice/cheese casserole recipe out there. I won't be trying this one again.

I decided to make this recipe before I read the reviews.  I already had all the ingredients, so I went ahead with the recipe.  I tasted it from the pan, and really liked it, but here is what I did different:

1.  I did 3 ounces each of 1/3 fat cream cheese and 1/2 fate processed cheese.

2.  I used 1 whole medium onion, finely diced.

3.  I used 1/2 of a green pepper, finely diced.

4.  I used 2 celery ribs, finely diced.

5.  When I had the veggies sweated and soft, I added the cheeses to the mixture.

6.  As this was cooking (cheeses and veggies), I added about 1/2 cup of fat-free milk (I saw that many that reviewed commented on the dryness of the dish).

7.  I stirred in the chicken (I used leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken - white meat) and the rice (I made Texmati, not the cooking bag) until I was satisfied with the consistency and ratio.

8.  Before I put in 4 ramekins, I added milk until I was satisfied with the consistency.

9.  Per another reviewer, I mixed panko and parmesan for the top - good call.

It is in the oven as we speak.  Looking forward to enjoying. 

I am giving a 4 due to:
1.  Lots of prep.

2.  After the reviews, felt that I needed to make a lot of adjustments.

This was a nice change from our usual meals. I sautéed 1.5 cups of Quorn chik n' with the peppers and onions to make it vegetarian :) rather than using real rotisserie. Like others suggested, I used broth in place of water, and added the milk/rice mix to the onion mixture before baking, rather than wasting it. I used about 1 cup milk + 1 C broth, and added a little more broth after combining mixes so it wasn't dry. Baked about 15 min. Yum!

This is just ok. I made one larger casserole instead the individual ones. I opted to shred home cooked chicken breasts and steam my own jasmine rice. Instead of Velveeta, I used some Rondele herb cheese spread. It came out somewhat dry and next time, I'd probably add some low fat sour cream to the mix before baking in the oven to add some moisture. Flavor-wise, it was good. My teenager loved it.

For the amount of work that was required, I was expecting awesome! It really was pretty bland.

4 stars because the casserole was tasty, but I made quite a few changes. I substituted chicken broth for water. After cooking the broccoli in the milk/broth, I poached 2 chicken breasts then shredded them. Cooked long grain rice in the milk/broth with chopped onion. Only used cream cheese. Then made a crumb topping with panko and parmesan cheese and baked off.

I thought this recipe was delish. I made the spiced chicken thighs & garlicky rice from the June 2013 issue the night before & I had leftover rice & chicken so I used it up making this recipe. I didn't put celery (didn't have any) & ended up adding some milk & fat free low sodium chicken broth to help the sauce along. I put it in a big casserole dish & baked at 350 for 40 minutes. I will definitely make it again!

This was a great tasting weeknight meal. I made some slight changes that were suggested by other reviewers. Made jasmine rice, steamed 4 cups of fresh broccoli florets about 6-7 mins., added about 3/4 cups of milk when everything was mixed together. I served with the sliced steamed carrots that were suggested in the magazine.

Tasty and hearty! Pretty easy to make, too.

When I told my husband we were eating healthy last night he rolled his eyes and made a horrible grunting noise - you'd have thought I was torturing him! When I handed him the plate of food, without even tasting it first he said "This is HEALTHY?!?!" Then after his first bite he was in love! He's already requested that I make this once a week. Here are the changes that I made to the recipe: 1) I almost doubled the amount of broccoli to increase the portion sizes without adding a lot of extra calories, 2) I added 2 cloves of chopped garlic for more flavor (add to the onion, celery, pepper mixure sauteing for about a minute before adding the cheeses, 3) I used 3 pieces of Laughing Cow Light Swiss instead of velveeta, and finally 4) to help make the mixture a little more creamy I reserved about 1/3 cup of the milk used to cook the rice and added to the final product (before baking) which worked pretty well. Can't wait to make this again!

My husband and I loved this! I only made a few modifications (left out the celery since I didn't have any, left out the Velveeta since I could only find it in giant packages in the store and instead doubled the cream cheese). Also, I made it in a 9x9 dish instead of individual ramekins. Everything came out tender and delicious. The serving sizes are very generous. It's not a very creamy casserole, but that is what cuts down on the calories! My husband has already been asking me to make this again!

I like the flavors and textures of this meal. I slightly changed it as follows: , I made my favorite rice (Basmati) instead of doing the boil bags in milk. That seemed like a waste to me. I used fresh broccoli, and cut the ends off really close to the clusters, so my broccoli was in very small pieces. I used a red onion instead of white/yellow, 1/2 of a green bell pepper, 3 stalks of celery and olive oil to saute. For the cheeses, I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and a combination of cheddar cheese and some other soft cheese that was left over from a party. I used precooked chicken (and made of the ramekins with out meat for my veggie daughter.) I did think it was a lot of work and dirty pots and pans for a week night meal--but the results were good. Very comforting food. I will make this again.

Beckisue - your comment made me smile. I guess it's time to make some Mac and cheese! This was very tasty. I had plenty of liquid to cook the rice and broccoli, but I agree it seemed a waste to throw out the milk. It was easy too, with no down time between steps. I didn't bother with the ramekins; I just put it in a small casserole. I would definitely make this again.

There is not enough liquid in this recipe. I had to add at least a half cup milk so it wasn't totally dry. In addition, 2 cups milk and 1 one cup water is not enough to cook the rice & broccoli.The rice recipe on the box calls for 4 cups. On top of it all, you end up throwing out the milk. Recipe is okay if you modify it, but too much work for velveeta, cream cheese and white rice.

I thought this was a good recipe, made as directed. Kids ate it always the test...good use of left over chicken meat!

This was good, but not worth the temptation of having the leftover cream cheese and Velveeta in my refrigerator. :-)