Broccoli Rice & Cheese Casserole

Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

A family member of mine makes a wonderful broccoli, rice, and cheese dish.  But I know it is full of fat and processed ingredients.  So when I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I decided I was going to try to make a healthier version of our family recipe.

I should have followed the recipe exactly.  I put my substitutions in parentheses, but I recommend following Mel's recipe exactly for this one.  I don't know if it was because I used brown rice, which used more of the liquid to cook, or if it is because I used skim milk instead of half and half, but my result was not creamy enough and a little on the dry side.  Also, the taste was a little off; I think this was because of the type of cheese I used.  Stick with the cheddar.

Ingredients:

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ pounds broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice (I used brown)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups half-and-half  

        (I used skim milk)
1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese 

        (I used Colby-Jack)

¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the topping:

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish (I used cooking spray).  For the topping, combine melted butter, garlic, breadcrumbs and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.  Set aside.

Microwave broccoli, covered w/plastic wrap, in a large bowl until bright green and tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Do not add water; there is enough moisture in the broccoli naturally.  Do not overcook.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.   Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minute.  Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes (30-35 if using brown rice).

Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, black pepper, cayenne, ½ cup Parmesan and broccoli florets.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture.  Bake until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Let rest 5 minutes.

Yields: 6-8 servings