Creamy Broccoli Casserole

November 7, 2016
Creamy Broccoli Casserole is a family-favorite, indeed.  With its cheesy broccoli goodness and buttered cracker crumb topping, what's not to love?  It's a perfect side for the holidays or any day!
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Creamy Broccoli Casserole Image ~ This is a family-favorite, indeed.  With its cheesy broccoli goodness and buttered cracker crumb topping, what's not to love?  It's a perfect side for the holidays or any day!  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


Well, it's happened.  After 40+ years of my Mom cooking our family's Thanksgiving dinner, this year the torch is passing to me.  Now even though I love to cook and cook all the time, the task of taking on my first Thanksgiving dinner still makes me a tad bit nervous.  

I mean, I've been responsible for several Thanksgiving meal side dishes before ... but never the entire dinner.

Do you want to know what dish is making me the most nervous?
The turkey, of course!

But one great thing I have to help me through the holiday planning and prep is my Mom and her family-favorite recipes.  Mom may have passed the Thanksgiving dinner torch to me, but she's certainly not leaving me high-and-dry!

So I'll be following Mom's turkey recipe to cook up our holiday bird ... complete with stuffing it the way she always has, and cooking it tucked away inside a brown paper bag.  I just hope I end up with the same great result as Mom.

This is a family-favorite, indeed.  With its cheesy broccoli goodness and buttered cracker crumb topping, what's not to love?  It's a perfect side for the holidays or any day!

And as for the sides?  I'll pretty much be following in Mom's footsteps there, too.  

Like with this classic, family-favorite creamy Broccoli Casserole.  We just can't get enough of it, and while we love it for Thanksgiving, we don't relegate making it to just the holidays.

To whip up a pan, start by mixing together thawed frozen broccoli florets, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese, and a bit of other stuff ...

Creamy Broccoli Casserole is a family-favorite, indeed.  With its cheesy broccoli goodness and buttered cracker crumb topping, what's not to love?  It's a perfect side for the holidays or any day!  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com

Spoon all that into a baking dish, top it with a little more cheese, and then sprinkle on a buttered cracker crumb topping ...

How to Make Creamy Broccoli Casserole image

For a really nice flavor in the cracker crumb topping, we always use a combination of two crackers for the crumbs ~ 1/2 Ritz and 1/2 Keebler Club crackers.  But you could certainly use just one type just fine ... or another kind altogether, if you prefer.

For a really nice flavor in the cracker crumb topping, we always use a combination of two crackers for the crumbs.

Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes until it's all nice and bubbly and the crumb topping is golden brown ...

How to Make Creamy Broccoli Casserole photo

And then serve up the deliciousness for all to enjoy.

So as I prepare for the cooking of my very first Thanksgiving dinner, I'll be turning to Mom's tried-and-true recipes to grace our menu.  But I don't think anyone will mind me following in Mom's footsteps.  I mean, why mess with a good thing, right?

Wish me luck!

Creamy Broccoli Casserole Filling image
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broccoli casserole recipe, broccoli casserole with cream of mushroom soup, Thanksgiving side dishes
Side Dishes
American
Yield: 6-8 Servings
How to Make Creamy Broccoli Casserolehttps://youtu.be/eaVlD88ALW8Demonstration of making creamy broccoli casserole
Creamy Broccoli Casserole

Creamy Broccoli Casserole

Creamy Broccoli Casserole is a family-favorite, indeed. With its cheesy broccoli goodness and buttered cracker crumb topping, what's not to love? It's a perfect side for the holidays or any day!
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

Broccoli Mixture:
  • 1 (14 or 16 oz.) package broccoli florets
  • 1 c. shredded mild or medium cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/4 c. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
Topping:
  • 1 1/2 c. Ritz and/or Keebler Club cracker crumbs (about 1 "sleeve" of crackers; I use a combination of 3/4 c. Ritz + 3/4 c. Keebler Club)
  • 1/4 c. butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Thaw broccoli and warm broccoli in the microwave for about 5 minutes; drain very well. Cut any large florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
  2. In a bowl, combine broccoli, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar, cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, milk, egg, and salt. Spoon into a greased 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
  3. Stir together cracker crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the broccoli mixture.
  4. Bake at 350℉ for 45 - 50 minutes until bubbly and crumb topping is light golden brown.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. Frozen chopped broccoli can be used instead of the florets, if desired. I just prefer the florets.
  2. This casserole may be prepared ahead. Place the broccoli mixture in the casserole dish, leave off the cracker topping, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Add cracker topping just before baking, and increase baking time to 75 - 80 minutes. Cover loosely with foil partway through baking if crumb topping begins to brown too much.
  3. Double this recipe to make 9x13-inch pan.
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26 comments

  1. It will be delicious ...I bet your whole dinner will be a feast to behold! Xo

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  2. Broccoli is actually my favorite vegetable, so this sounds delicious to me! I will definitely be trying it.

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  3. This sounds so yummy! I love broccoli and cheese mixed together.. but never thought to try it just this way. Pinned.

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  4. This looks like a great side for Thanksgiving! Pinning for later!

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  5. Looks delicious perfect treat love to try thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning and tweeting.

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  6. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome Creamy Broccoli Casserole with us at Full Plate Thursday this week. This will be a delicious casserole for the holidays! Have a great day and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

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  7. Love family recipes like your Creamy Broccoli Casserole! It looks delicious and so perfect for the holidays. Best of luck cooking your first family Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure it will be wonderful. Scheduled this post to pin later. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  8. Your recipe is featured on The Top Ten for Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week and thanks so much for sharing with us, enjoy your new Red Plate!
    Miz Helen

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  9. Why couldn't you use fresh broccoli in this?

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    Replies
    1. I was wondering the same. Anyone tried with fresh broccoli? If so did you need to cook any before adding to casserole? How about roasting it with olive oil for short time then adding to other ingredients?

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    2. You could use fresh broccoli just fine. I would steam it or blanch it a bit and drain it well before mixing it together with the other ingredients. Enjoy!

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  10. I bet this would be good with chopped leftover ham added to it.

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  11. I make this except I use cream of celery. I also mash the broccoli to smaller pieces. This casserole is amazing!

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  12. If you were to double the recipe does that affect the time it needs to be cooked?

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    Replies
    1. It shouldn't affect the baking time much, if at all ... you may just want to allow an extra 10 minutes or so, just in case. Enjoy!

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  13. OMG this looks really good, my mother and I love recipes that include broccoli

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  14. I made this last year & my family is asking me to make It again, I am so happy they never aske me to make it again. I have a question though, I need to make this & then travel a couple of hours to dinner, will this make the top crust soggy? I usually wrap it in a couple kitchen towels to keep it warm. Do you have any suggestions?

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  15. This dish was a hit at our Thanksgiving dinner !

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  16. I tried this tonight. If I had it to do over, I would halve the butter and crackers, and double the cheese. I guess I'm just used to cheesier versions, LOL Thank you for the recipe.

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  17. Made this today for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was delicious 😋

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    Replies
    1. Wonderful, we are do glad you enjoyed! Please look at the blog and try some more of the recipes we publish.

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