Try this Baked Broccoli Cheese Rice recipe
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons butter plus more for greasing pan
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a few cracks fresh black pepper
- 2 + 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded
- 3 cups cooked rice ( i used brown)
- 2 -3 cups cooked broccoli florets
- Carbohydrate 8.42754166895926 g
- Cholesterol 9.66666667173877 mg
- Fat 3.17964583498177 g
- Fiber 0.073124997317791 g
- Protein 3.72081250163322 g
- Saturated Fat 1.84365000094595 g
- Serving Size 1 1 side dish serving (72g)
- Sodium 95.2270833536218 mg
- Sugar 8.35441667164147 g
- Trans Fat 0.305081250191726 g
- Calories 76 calories
Step-by-step
- Grease a 9x13-inch casserole pan.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large saucepan melt the butter over low heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Whisk in flour and cook 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Slowly whisk in milk, mustard and season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer 4 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Add 2 cups of cheddar cheese and parmesan; stir until mostly melted; remove from heat.
- Stir in rice and broccoli florets, pour into casserole pan, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top.
- Bake 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden on top.
- Allow to set 5 minutes before serving.
Starch retrogradation ruins leftover grains by forcing amylose molecules to recrystallize into a rigid, dry matrix that standard reheating cannot reverse. Rehydrating cold rice directly in a saucepan fails because individual kernels break down before absorbing moisture evenly. Casseroles solve this structural failure entirely by surrounding the dry starches in a rich dairy emulsion that shields the kernels from direct oven heat while they steam back to a tender consistency.
Whisking flour into melted butter and cooking it for three to four minutes eliminates raw cereal flavors before cold milk enters the pan. Minced garlic burns easily in dry pans, so sweat the cloves gently over low heat in the initial butter fat until aromatic before adding any dry flour. Sharp cheddar contains lower moisture content than mild variants, which directly affects how smoothly the cheese incorporates into the warm white sauce without breaking into oily separation. Shredding blocks manually prevents the anti-caking cellulose coatings found in pre-bagged cheese from interfering with the sauce density.
Timing requires precise staging when combining components that are already pre-cooked to prevent the brassicas from turning mushy during baking. Brown rice provides a nuttier profile and firmer chew than white varieties, holding its structural integrity better during the thirty-minute oven stretch at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Resting the 9x13-inch pan for five minutes off the heat allows the dairy starches to set sufficiently for clean portions.
Leftover portions keep refrigerated in an airtight glass container for up to four days. Reheating individual squares works best in a 350-degree oven for fifteen minutes, covered loosely with foil to prevent the remaining cheese crust from burning before the center reaches serving temperature.
