Broccoli and Rice Casserole

This tasty Broccoli and Rice Casserole uses brown rice, broccoli, and a creamy curry sauce topped with cheese to create layers of flavor! And this is delicious if you’re looking for a plant-based comfort-food meal! 

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My fondness for casseroles is well documented on the blog, and Broccoli and Rice Casserole is an idea I came up with after I decided to challenge myself with creating more meatless casseroles. I wanted a casserole that was meatless but still had that comfort-food appeal that makes casseroles so popular. And once I had the idea in mind, it actually took Jake and I three tries to get this one just right (although we happily gobbled up the first  two tries as well.)

If you’re looking for a new dinner idea for Meatless Monday, I think most family members will like this one, as long as they like broccoli. I kept the curry flavor mild with the idea that kids could enjoy this, but if you like spicy curries you can increase the heat, or even use all hot curry powder.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• cooked brown rice
• broccoli
• onion
• olive
• Sweet Curry Powder (affiliate link), sometimes just called curry powder 
• Hot Curry Powder (affiliate link), sometimes called Madras curry powder
• sea salt 
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend
• grated Mozzarella
• sour cream
• mayo
• fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice

Can you make this recipe with Cauliflower Rice?

We used cooked brown rice for this recipe. But this casserole is definitely similar to one of my favorite cauliflower rice casseroles with chicken and curry sauce, and I’ve also used cauliflower rice in stuffed peppers. I haven’t tried substituting the frozen cauliflower rice in this recipe, but I am guessing it would work. I’d love to hear in the comments if anyone tries it!

Can you use frozen broccoli for this recipe?

This recipe uses a generous amount of broccoli and although frozen broccoli would be convenient, it would make it a lot more expensive. Truthfully I am not a frozen broccoli fan, but nearly every casserole I have with broccoli has comments from people who have reported making it successfully with frozen broccoli. So go ahead and try it if you’d like!

Who else loves broccoli?

There’s a whole section of Broccoli Recipes on the blog for everyone (like me) who just loves to use it in recipes!

How to make this Broccoli and Rice Casserole:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)

1. We increased the amount of broccoli each time we tested the recipe, and the final version calls for 8 cups of small broccoli flowerets.
2. Cook the broccoli in boiling salted water for exactly two minutes, and then drain it into a colander placed in the sink.
3. While the broccoli cooks, saute the onion in a little olive oil until it starts to brown; then add the sweet and hot curry powder and cook 2-3 minutes more.
4. Mix in the cooked brown rice and stir to get the curry flavor distributed and cook long enough to heat the rice.
5. Whisk together the  sour cream, mayo, mayo, lemon juice, and sweet curry powder.
6. In an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish with high sides, start with a layer of half the rice.
7. Then put half the blanched broccoli.
8. Spread over half the curry sauce.
9. Top with half the cheese.
10. Then make another layer of each of rice, broccoli, sauce, and cheese.
11. Bake at 375F/190C for about 30 minutes, or until casserole is slightly bubbling and lightly browned on top.

More Meatless Recipes with Rice or Cauliflower Rice:

Spinach and Feta Casserole with Brown Rice

Greek Cauliflower Rice Bake

Slow Cooker Rice Casserole with Green Chiles and Cheese

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Print

Yield: 8 servings

Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Broccoli and Rice Casserole is a layered casserole with broccoli, brown rice, creamy curry sauce, and just enough cheese give it that comfort food appeal!

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked brown rice (see notes)
• 8 cups fresh broccoli, cut into small flowerets (see notes)
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 2 tsp. olive
• 1 tsp. sweet curry powder (any curry powder that’s not labeled hot will probably work for this)
• 1/2 tsp hot curry powder (sometimes called Madras curry powder; you can skip this if cooking for kids or increase for a spicier dish)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt salt
• 1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but good)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (I used my frozen lemon juice)
• 1 1/2 tsp. sweet curry powder

Instructions

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions or using a rice cooker to get 4 cups cooked brown rice.
2. When rice is nearly done, cut broccoli into small flowerets to get 8 cups broccoli.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add about 1 tsp. salt, and cook the broccoli exactly 2 minutes.
4. Drain broccoli into a colander placed in the sink.
5. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
6. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the onion, and saute over medium-high heat until onion is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the sweet and hot curry powder and cook 1-2 minutes more.
8. Add the cooked rice and stir to coat with the oil and curry powder, then cook a couple of minutes to to heat the rice (if needed.)
9. Whisk together sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, and sweet curry powder to make the sauce.
10. Spray an 8″ x 8″ glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. I used my new favorite casserole dish (affiliate link); if you don’t have a dish that’s this deep, use a slightly larger one.
11. Make layers with half the rice mixture, half the broccoli, half the curry sauce, and half the cheese, spreading out to make an even layer with each ingredient.
12. Make a second layer each of rice mixture, broccoli, curry sauce, and cheese.
13. Bake the casserole about 30 minutes, or until casserole is starting to bubble and the cheese is lightly browned on top.  Serve hot.
14. I am guessing this freezes well, although I managed to have leftovers to try freezing it.

Notes

I'm a fan of Uncle Ben's Brown Rice (affiliate link). We used about 20 oz. broccoli.

This recipe was created by Kalyn with inspiration from Better-than-Mom’s Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 616mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you make this recipe with brown rice, a generous amount of broccoli, and reduced fat sour cream, mayo, and cheese that will make the casserole suitable for Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. You might consider this to be a “once in a while-treat” due to the amount of fat. You could make a lower-carb version of this using less rice and more broccoli and cheese, and you may wish to use full-fat cheese and sour cream for low-carb. I’m guessing you could switch the rice for cauliflower rice to make this a low-carb dish, but I haven’t tried that.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more tasty casseroles! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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