Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole is a Southern favorite in our home, and one of our most beloved recipes passed down from one generation to the next; made with long grain rice, fresh never frozen broccoli, sautéed Vidalia onions, sharp white cheddar, mild yellow cheddar, sour cream, low sodium vegetable broth, and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs before being baked to perfection.
Did you notice the ingredient list? That’s right, and I bet you have seen this delicious recipe for Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole has no mention of canned soup or processed cheese included. Those of you love your Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole but hate using those two ingredients these days. You are going to fall in love with this updated recipe.
One of the many things that I have always loved about this recipe is that my son hated broccoli when he was small. My husband hated rice for some reason. They love cheese and anything that has cheese trumps the ingredients they aren’t so fond of. Figure that one out since both devour this casserole like no tomorrow when I serve it. I guess cheese makes everything better.
I decided I would make this hearty casserole today for our Memorial Day gathering. I had a good chuckle as one of our friends from New Jersey told me they thought Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole was a recipe we only served at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now let me tell Y’all this deliciously cheesy casserole can be performed on any given day you’d like to splurge at dinner. All of you don’t have to wait until the Thanksgiving holiday to enjoy it!
Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole is pure unadulterated Comfort Food bliss, in my opinion. I mean, anytime you combine Rice, Cheese, Broccoli, and other favorite ingredients in a recipe, it gets my full attention right then and there. I can’t help myself when it comes to broccoli and cheese — totally one of my favorite combinations.
I have even added grilled chicken breast strips to this casserole and made an entire meal around it. It’s super simple to make and clean up on a busy night. There are some time-saving options you can use to keep the time closer to 30 minutes,
Tips for Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole
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Use thawed organic frozen broccoli in place of fresh.
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Use leftover white rice from another previous meal.
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If you add the chicken, use a rotisserie chicken from the market.
I used a White Sharp Cheddar and Mild Cheddar in this recipe, but let me tell you, Colby-Jack and Mild Cheddar are also excellent combos for the Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole recipe as well. Try it both ways, and be sure to let me know which you like better? I always love hearing from you.
Let me know Y’all how you enjoyed this old-school Southern favorite of ours in the comments, and I love hearing feedback from you on the recipes that you try on the blog. Also, if needed during the off-season, frozen broccoli may be used by simply adding it to the casserole while still frozen so that it does not overlook during the baking process.
Ingredients Needed for Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole
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Four cups Vegetable or chicken broth to cook the rice
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Two cups Long grain rice
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Four tablespoons unsalted butter
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One Vidalia onion chopped
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Kosher salt, to own taste
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Freshly ground pepper, to taste
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1/4 cup all-purpose flour
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One and 1/4 cups extra Vegetable or chicken broth
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Two and 1/4 cups of Half and Half + more if needed for the sauce
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3/4 cups Sour cream
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Two cups Freshly shredded white cheddar cheese
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Two cups Freshly shredded mild cheddar cheese
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Three cups small fresh broccoli flowerets cut into small pieces
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Cooking spray
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1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
More Tips:
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Follow the instructions word for word. Changing the recipe may cause the method to be incorrect consistency or taste.
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Before baking, be sure to check the thickness of your cheese sauce with the rice mixture; if it seems too dry, add more half and half cream before baking.
-
Use Colby-Jack and Mild cheddar cheese in place of the Sharp cheese if desired.
-
Be sure to check the consistency of your rice and cheese mixture. Before baking to make sure you do not need more liquids. Add slowly as you do not want sticky rice.
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Add grilled chicken chunks or strips to the rice casserole and make it an entire meal.
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Use organic frozen broccoli in place of fresh when broccoli is out of season in your area.
Step One
Boil the four cups of vegetable or chicken broth in a 3-quart pan. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2 cups of long-grain white rice and stir. Boil for about 3-4 minutes before covering with a tight-fitting lid and reducing heat to the lowest setting. Leave the burner on the lowest heat setting covered for about 10-12 minutes, then completely turn off the heat source and let rice stand for about 10 minutes. The rice may seem a bit dry; however, the liquids you will be adding to the rice will be absorbed in the baking process and make the rice the proper consistency.
Step Two
Meanwhile, place a metal skillet on medium heat, add 3-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the skillet, let unsalted butter slowly melt, then add chopped Vidalia onion, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, sauté the onions in butter for about 3 minutes before adding 1/4 of a cup of flour; stir continuously until the raw flour taste cooks off about 2-3 minutes.
Step Three
Add 1 1/4 cups of the extra vegetable or chicken broth to the flour and onion mixture to the metal skillet, stir thoroughly, then slowly add half and half cream and sour cream to the mixture stirring until it becomes thick and creamy, slowly add the cheeses and stir the mixture until it becomes thick and creamy, if the cheese mixture becomes too thick add a touch more broth or half and half cream to it to thin out. You may season with more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.
Step Four
Fluff the rice, then add 1/3 of the cheese sauce mixture and the broccoli florets to the rice in the 3-quart saucepan, gently stir to combine ingredients. Reserve the rest of the cheese sauce until needed in the next step
Step Five
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, then spoon another 1/3 of the cheese mixture to the bottom of the casserole dish before adding the rice mixture to the casserole dish, spoon the last 1/3 of sauce over the rice and broccoli, then top with seasoned bread crumbs.
Step Six
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite meal.

Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups Vegetable broth, to cook the rice may sub chicken broth
- 2 cups Long grain rice
- 3-4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 Vidalia onion chopped
- Kosher salt, to own taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to own taste
Cheese mixture
- ¼ cup Flour
- 1 ¼ cups Vegetable broth may sub chicken broth
- 2 ¼ cups Half and half cream + more if needed for the sauce
- ¾ cup Sour cream
- 2 cups Freshly shredded white cheddar cheese
- 2 cups Freshly shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 3 cups Small fresh broccoli flowerets cut into small pieces or thawed organic
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs for topping
Instructions
- Boil the four cups of vegetable or chicken broth in a 3-quart pan. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2 cups of long-grain white rice and stir. Boil for about 3-4 minutes before covering with a tight-fitting lid and reducing heat to the lowest setting. Leave the burner on the lowest heat setting covered for about 10-12 minutes, then completely turn off the heat source and let rice stand for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a metal skillet on medium heat, add 3-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the skillet, let unsalted butter slowly melt, then add chopped Vidalia onion, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, sauté the onions in butter for about 3 minutes before adding ¼ of a cup of flour; stir continuously until the raw flour taste cooks off about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1 ¼ cups of the extra vegetable or chicken broth to the flour and onion mixture to the metal skillet, stir thoroughly, then slowly add half and half cream and sour cream to the mixture stirring until it becomes thick and creamy, slowly add the cheeses and stir the mixture until it becomes thick and creamy, if the cheese mixture becomes too thick add a touch more broth or half and half cream to it to thin out. You may season with more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.
- Fluff the rice, then add ⅓ of the cheese sauce mixture and the broccoli florets to the rice in the 3-quart saucepan, gently stir to combine ingredients. Reserve the rest of the cheese sauce until needed in the next step
- Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, then spoon another ⅓ of the cheese mixture to the bottom of the casserole dish before adding the rice mixture to the casserole dish, spoon the last ⅓ of sauce over the rice and broccoli, then top with seasoned bread crumbs.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes uncovered. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite meal.
Notes
- Follow the instructions word for word. Changing the recipe may cause the method to be incorrect consistency or taste.
- Before baking, be sure to check the thickness of your cheese sauce with the rice mixture; if it seems too dry, add more half and half cream before baking.
- Use Colby-Jack and Mild cheddar cheese in place of the Sharp cheese if desired.
- Be sure to check the consistency of your rice and cheese mixture. Before baking to make sure you do not need more liquids. Add slowly as you do not want sticky rice.
- Add grilled chicken chunks or strips to the rice casserole and make it an entire meal.
- Use organic frozen broccoli in place of fresh when broccoli is out of season in your area.
Nutrition
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48 Comments
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November 22, 2021 at 2:06 pm[…] Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole is a Southern favorite in our home, and one of our most beloved recipes passed down from one generation to the next; made with long grain rice, fresh never frozen broccoli, sautéed Vidalia onions, sharp white cheddar, mild yellow cheddar, sour cream, low sodium vegetable broth, and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs before being baked to perfection. […]
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March 31, 2021 at 10:21 am[…] Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole is a Southern favorite in our home, and one of our most beloved recipes passed down from one generation to the next; made with long grain rice, fresh never frozen broccoli, sautéed Vidalia onions, sharp white cheddar, mild yellow cheddar, sour cream, low sodium vegetable broth, and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs. […]
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Pepper
October 14, 2020 at 9:42 amThis was a recipe that was a little confusing getting through at times. However, it was well worth it! My husband is a super picky eater. He said this was the best thing I’ve made all year! I’m a pretty good cook, but it was that good. I made a couple of changes because it was easier for me and what I have in my pantry. I used chicken broth and made the rice ahead of time in my rice cooker. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing!
hmccallum
October 14, 2020 at 11:12 amThank you, Pepper! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
Kathy Mizzen
November 19, 2019 at 7:46 pmI made this but was a little confused at first. I was not sure where to see the part of the recipe for the cheese sauce… So my guess is you make that when cooking the rice ?? That’s what I did
hmccallum
November 20, 2019 at 3:50 pmHi, Kathy, did you view the recipe card? If not try taking a look there. Hope this helps you. Thanks for stopping by.
Elizabeth
November 23, 2020 at 2:34 amI was a little confused at first by the instructions due to a typo—however. I was smart enough to figure it out! Happy Holidays!!
hmccallum
November 23, 2020 at 7:45 amThanks so much for bringing that to my attention! Glad it all worked out!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Beth
November 18, 2019 at 1:48 pmThis Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole is amazing! I’m with you, I love using fresh ingredients over canned – always feels healthier, right?!
hmccallum
November 20, 2019 at 3:43 pmThank you, so much Beth! I love hearing positive feedback and it really makes my day!
Vicky
November 18, 2019 at 1:25 pmI am always looking for more casserole dishes to serve as sides for special dinners. This Southern Broccoli and Rice Casserole looks great and even my picky kids would love all the ingredients.
hmccallum
November 20, 2019 at 3:40 pmVicky, this is perfect to serve on holidays too! Thanks for the feedback!