Happy Sunday! I'm not watching Revenge, I don't really care about the SAG awards, or the Pro Bowl... and Downton Abbey is over. So here we are. Bridesmaids is on HBO and I'm blogging about food during that scene... you know the one. Maybe not the best for blogging about food. I'm a trooper though, and I had a great weekend, so let's do this.
I have been craving broccoli, rice & cheese casserole, BUT almost every recipe you look for calls for processed cheese. Processed cheese is a cheese product made from regular cheese, and almost always with the addition of whey,
emulsifiers, milk, salts, preservatives, and food coloring. We are all familiar with processed cheese (also called "Cheese Product", "Cheese Food", "Process Cheese", and "prepared cheese" since it can't legally be called "cheese".) I downed Kraft Singles as a kid and I'm not sure if I know of a way to make queso that doesn't involve velvetta. Both of these are "Cheese Food." Am I against cheese food? No. But if I can find an alternative to it, I prefer to use that. Then I'll save all of my processed cheese points for when someone wants to make crock pot queso. To be honest, the more processed something is, the less I want to eat it. If there is an alternative that is closer to the actual ingredients, go for that. For more info on the ingredient list for Kraft Singles, see this little blurb from Fooducate.
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| This is what I say to myself when I try to budget. |
I did a little google search for "Broccoli cheese casserole without processed cheese" and a few different recipes popped up. One from Whole Foods seemed pretty easy to follow with ingredients I had on hand. As much as I tried not to, I made a few changes to the recipe as I went along. The Whole Foods recipe had 3/5 stars so I figured maybe I should see what could be done.
The recipe started with toasting a cup of jasmine rice in a pot with a little bit of EV Olive Oil.Then you add in water & salt, bring it to a boil and let it do it's magical rice thing. I like to usually make my rice with chicken stock instead of water, but I didn't have any. After I added in the water I stirred in a teaspoon of better than bouillon chicken to give it a bit of flavor. Before I forget, preheat the oven to 350.
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| Rice Toasting |
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| Bouillon Stirring |
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| Ready Rice! |
Next I used my fancy little slap chop to make some finely chopped onions. L really enjoyed this whole process and asked for a repeat well after the onion was chopped. Kids. Then I sauteed the onions in a pan with EV Olive Oil.
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| Props to that Pampered Chef party in 2005. The Slap Chop is still going strong. |
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| Sauteed |
I already had my broccoli prepped and my onions cooked much faster than I anticipated (thanks to all of that slap chopping) so I threw in the broccoli after only a couple of minutes.
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| 2.5 C of Broccoli |
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| Toss the Broccoli in with the onions. |
I looked and looked for a non condensed Cream of Mushroom soup. I found a "Semi Condensed" version and it was better than fully condensed so I went with it.
I added the rice into the onion and broccoli mixture, followed by the soup, salt, fresh ground pepper, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. The garlic powder is not on the original recipe.
Last I added the cheese. I probably did 3/4 cups instead of 1/2 cup. It's cheese. I was not having the processed version so I added a little in.
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| Extreme Close Up |
Because the soup was semi condensed, I added in about 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the pan. The casserole was supposed to be "Bubbly" when it was ready and there was not going to be any bubbly at this point. I poured the water in at the corners so it would seep underneath and not screw with the top of the casserole. Tips to live by.
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| Casserole in pan |
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| Sprinkled with cheese |
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| In the oven at 350 for 25 minutes. |
Then it was done. We had it for dinner tonight with some rotisserie chicken. I thought it was really good. It definitely hit the spot where my craving was concerned, but was not the exact same flavor. Was it something that left me speechless? No. But I would say for a healthier version of a very sinful treat, it was really good. Probably a 4/5 stars. I used Sharp Cheddar instead of regular, because I prefer the extra bit of flavor. Here's an extreme cheese closeup of the finished product.
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| YUMMMMMM |
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| Full pan casserole pornography. |
Like I said, this was a great healthier version of one of my favorite casserole treats. I will definitely make it again. S really liked it too. It was quick, the ingredients are inexpensive, and it was easy. Next time I might try to see if I can do a version with brown rice and make it even a little bit more better for you (and me). I'll report back when I get motivated.
Dinner tomorrow: Rosemary Lobster Tails. We've been there before. I'm excited to go there again. Maybe a side of Broccoli, Rice & Cheese Casserole. The possibilities are endless!
- RT
Whole Foods Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole
(can be made Gluten Free, Wheat Free, and Vegetarian) - I did none of that.This is the original recipe. I added in the Chicken Bouillon, Garlic Powder, and used Sharp Cheddar Cheese. All of that is included above.
Dinner tomorrow: Rosemary Lobster Tails. We've been there before. I'm excited to go there again. Maybe a side of Broccoli, Rice & Cheese Casserole. The possibilities are endless!
- RT
Whole Foods Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole
(can be made Gluten Free, Wheat Free, and Vegetarian) - I did none of that.This is the original recipe. I added in the Chicken Bouillon, Garlic Powder, and used Sharp Cheddar Cheese. All of that is included above.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- Salt to taste
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 (15 ounce) can regular or gluten-free ready-to-eat (not condensed) cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Grease a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray; set aside.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until translucent and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes. Set pot aside off of the heat for 5 minutes, then uncover, fluff with a fork and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add cooked rice, then stir in soup, 1/2 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper.
Transfer rice mixture to prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until translucent and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes. Set pot aside off of the heat for 5 minutes, then uncover, fluff with a fork and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add cooked rice, then stir in soup, 1/2 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper.
Transfer rice mixture to prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Nutritional Info:
Per Serving:230 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 680mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 8g protein
Special Diets:
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