Broccoli rice casserole
So I am at my beloved Publix the other day, shopping for King Daddy’s Father’s Day meal. And I am going high-brow with grilled lamb chops and low-brow with Bunny’s famous broccoli rice casserole. And I realize I have reached some kind of tragic milestone in my life because I am embarrassed that A. I don’t know where the Cheez Whiz is; and B. I am embarrassed to ask a clerk for its location.
They know I am using Cheez Whiz, I think. “Cheez” in a jar, a product so alien to cheese that the manufacturer changed the spelling. “Cheez” that is, for the ages, in liquified form and whose “sell by” date is sometime in the next millennium. And then I head over to the soup section to pick up a can of cream of mushroom soup. Oh, Lord!
But you know what? For almost every Southern casserole worth its salt, you have to venture into the dangerous territory known as the “center aisles” of the supermarket. It’s a dark and foreboding place that food purists warn about. It’s where the French’s fried onion rings are. And the Velveeta. And, yes, the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (which we just refer to as The Blue Box). And I just looked it up. These products so spurned by gourmets have stood the test of time. Cheez Whiz was invented in 1952. Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup made it’s debut in 1934. And, as far as I can tell, no one’s died from eating them yet.
I shared my mother-in-law’s recipe for broccoli rice casserole a few months ago, but I did not have the enticing cheesy photo to go with it. So here it is again. I would rename it the Cheez Whiz and cream of mushroom soup casserole, but that would negate all the healthy properties of this dish. 🙂
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup butter
- 1⅓ cups cooked rice
- 1 8-ounce jar processed cheese spread, such as Cheez Whiz
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- Combine broccoli and onion. Cook according to package directions. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Stir well.
- Pour into a greased 9-by-13 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
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