Recipe: Broccoli Casserole

We doubled the recipe for lots of leftovers and discovered that letting it sit improved the flavor even more. I recommend using vegetable broth to cook the rice. Also, the better the cheese you use, the better the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white flour
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium portabella mushroom cap, diced small
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or butter
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup + 1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• 11/2 cups cooked chick peas
• 1 tomato, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:

Combine the water and rice, bring to a boil, then simmer 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly steam the broccoli until just tender.

Combine the flour, lemon pepper, black pepper, salt and garlic in a small bowl.

Dice the mushroom and sauté in 2 teaspoons of olive oil or butter. Cook until no mushrooms are longer watery. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Saute the onions on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the flour mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping constantly to avoid burning.

Add the milk in portions, beating with a wire whisk. When all of the milk is in, increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. When mixture begins to bubble and thicken, decrease heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup shredded cheese and stir in until completely melted. Stir in cooked mushrooms.

Combine the broccoli, rice, cheese sauce, and chick peas in a 2-quart casserole dish. Layer with sliced tomatoes, then top with 1/3 cup shredded cheese or bread crumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes until cheese is just brown and mixture is bubbly.

This recipe was written by Anne Savage and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Sept. 7, 2011.