Great side dish
- Carbohydrate 23.8760410714286 g
- Cholesterol 60.986075 mg
- Fat 22.4825035714286 g
- Fiber 3.65499999046326 g
- Protein 14.6834892857143 g
- Saturated Fat 12.4425007142857 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (197g)
- Sodium 1073.1335875 mg
- Sugar 20.2210410809653 g
- Trans Fat 3.04042285714286 g
- Calories 349 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- You will need a 9 x 13 casserole dish
- 1. Cook broccoli according to package instructions. Set aside.
- 2. In medium saucepan melt 1/2 stick butter with 3/4 block of Velveeta cheese until creamy.
- 3. In small saucepan or mug in microwave, melt 1/2 stick butter. Mix into cracker crumbs with fork, set aside.
- 4. In casserole dish take half of your broccoli and line bottom of dish. No need to grease.
- 5. Pour half of cheese and butter mixture over broccoli evenly.
- 6. Pour half of your cracker crumb mixture over cheese and broccoli.
- 7. Repeat steps 4, 5, 6 making two layers, ending with cracker crumbs.
- 8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown.
Undercooking the broccoli before assembly leaves the vegetable fibrous rather than tender within the cheese sauce. Raw or under-steamed florets retain too much water, releasing moisture during the 20-minute bake at 350 degrees and breaking the emulsion of the Velveeta sauce. Thoroughly draining the cooked broccoli prevents a watery separation at the bottom of your 9x13 casserole dish. Assembled layers can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking, though dry cracker crumbs should be added immediately prior to the oven to maintain their crunch. Freezing unbaked pans is also viable if wrapped tightly in plastic and aluminum foil for up to one month; thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Mixing melted butter into the crushed Ritz crackers uniformly coats every crumb, ensuring a deeply golden brown crust develops without burning. Watch the edges of the dish closely during the final minutes of baking to gauge exact doneness.
