Broccoli, Mushroom, Cheese, Rice Casserole

I hit a home run with this recipe. Comfort food without the canned soup but with all of the flavor. Canned soup does add a lot of flavor to casseroles, so when you skip it you either end up with something delicious or something bland. To create the flavor, you have to use several veggies and a good amount of seasoning. Always taste test.... a rough job, but someone has to do it. :) You can use almost any type of cheese you want, but I went with sharp cheddar. For the topping, I just sprinkled on extra cheese and breadcrumbs. Parmesan would be nice on the top as well. And if you're in a hurry, feeling lazy, or you're house is hot and you don't want to use the oven, just skip the baking and the cheese/breadcrumb topping. Also, I'm betting you could add some leftover chicken to this and make it a meal. 

Onion and celery

Mushrooms

Garlic

Cook the flour and butter for about 5 minutes

Veggie and cheese mixture

Rice

Mix the two together (if you're feeling lazy one day, you could eat it just like this and skip baking)

Sprinkle on the extra cheese and breadcrumbs, bake

Broccoli, Mushroom, Cheese, Rice Casserole
Serving Size = 3

• 1/2 cup long grain white rice, (measuring uncooked, and then cook)
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (topping)
• 3/4 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 - 1 cup of milk (depends how dry it looks, I needed 1 cup)
• 2 cups broccoli (I used frozen, if you use fresh then cook it first)
• 6 or so button mushrooms, thinly chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, or half an onion, finely chopped
• Oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tablespoon or so of breadcrumbs
• Salt/Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add some oil and saute the onions and celery for a minute. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook everything until softened. Add salt and pepper. Pour onto a plate and set aside.
3. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the flour and whisk, cooking for about 5 minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Stir constantly. You might need to lower the heat a bit.
4. Add the milk, stir until thickened, add the cheese and stir well. Add the veggies back in, including the broccoli. Stir well, if it's too dry, add more milk. Add the rice, stir, check seasoning. Again, add more milk if it looks too dry. It should be creamy and liquid shouldn't run everywhere.
5. Place into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and sprinkle on the 1/2 cup cheese (or as much as you want). Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbling. If the breadcrumbs do not toast up enough, flip on the broiler for a minute or two.

Linking to: Mix It Up Monday, Hearth and Soul, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesdays