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One-pot broccoli cheese brown rice

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This warm and cheesy one-pot broccoli cheese brown rice is an easy, healthy, delicious side dish with both veggies and whole grains! Kids love it too!
This warm and cheesy one-pot broccoli cheese brown rice is an easy, healthy, delicious side dish! Kids love it too! #broccoli #brownrice #sidedish #easyrecipe

Quick update on the oven saga that continued yesterday…

The new one was to be installed yesterday but there was concern about the electrical support. So I was going to need to have an electrician come look at it.

I just knew this was going to be another serious delay and was super bummed. But, miracles can happen and the electrician came out at 3:30 p.m. He was able to do a quick fix.

And then, the oven installer came back over at 4:30 and stayed until the job was done. 🙌 #peopleareawesome #faithinhumanitytotallyrestored

So I’m going to be back to baking up all sorts of yummy foods for you. Stay tuned!

(You can sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter to get new recipes delivered to your inbox. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Easy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!)

As you probably know by now, I’m a brown rice gal, through and through.

Sure, it takes a little bit longer to cook, but it’s just as easy as white rice. (See this post on perfect brown rice if you’re scared of it like many friends I know.)

Brown rice recipes just have so much more of a robust flavor. And, also, please give me whole grains any day. Maybe that’s the health and nutrition editor in me talking. 😉

And this broccoli cheese brown rice really kicks things up a notch.

You’ve got the classic broccoli cheese combination, folded into some fluffy brown rice until everything is completely combined and melted together in delicious harmony.

Warm, gooey, completely wholesome and absolutely irresistible. 💚

Broccoli cheese brown rice served on a plate with the pot in the background

And my kids recently, they need a little tempting when it comes to rice.

J used to eat it plain, shoveling it down. My little carb lover. But he’s gotten more selective in his ripe old age of 2 1/2.

M, who is 4 1/2, comes and goes with rice, too. Sometimes she loves it, sometimes not so much. Ah, kids…

But this broccoli cheese rice? I have two happy campers on my hands when this is for dinner!

To the point where, if I try to serve up plain rice, M will request hers with broccoli and cheese please. I think I’ll take that as a win!

Plus, this is an easy one-pot side dish that I can whip up while I’ve got some chicken or pork going and voila, dinner is done. 🙌

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up for this recipe. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Chopped fresh broccoli on top of steamed brown rice in a large pot Shredded cheddar cheese over broccoli and rice in a pot

Notes on broccoli cheese brown rice:

  • I like having the sautéed onions mixed into this, but you could skip that part if you are onion averse.
  • You could skip the garlic too really, but I think it adds good flavor and it’s not much.
  • We always use shredded cheddar cheese for this broccoli and rice recipe. I prefer white cheddar cheese, but use your favorite.
  • You could also try this with shredded mozzarella cheese if you’d like.
  • Finally, while I make my broccoli and cheese rice with a long grain brown rice, you could do this with regular white rice too. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time. I’d recommend adding the chopped broccoli after about 12 minutes.

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free as is.

If you need to make it vegan, just substitute the butter with olive oil and use a vegan shredded cheese. 👍

(Technically, you could make this a broccoli and rice recipe and skip the cheese all together. But I sure do like it with the cheesy add!)

Healthy brown rice recipe with broccoli and cheddar cheese mixed in, being served from a large pot

How to make one-pot broccoli cheese rice:

– First, you’ll sauté the onion and garlic in butter (or olive oil). Flavor boost right there.

– Then you add the brown rice, get it coated in the oils (another flavor boost), and add the water. Bring it to a simmer, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and let it cook.

– Before the rice is completely finished, add the finely chopped broccoli. You just put it right on top of the rice, no need to stir it in yet. Then cover the pot again and let it finish cooking, about 5 more minutes. The broccoli steams up on top while the rice finishes on the bottom. Gotta love that!

– Once the rice is done cooking and the broccoli is tender, stir it all together. Then turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for a few minutes to help it all come together.

– Lastly, add your shredded cheese and stir it into the brown rice until it’s melted. Takes just a minute. You’re done!

Broccoli cheese rice served on a white plate with broccoli for a garnish

This cheddar broccoli rice goes well with so many dishes. We’ve enjoyed it with paprika chicken, easy crunchy baked chicken, Ranch seasoned pork chops and crunchy baked pork chops. All good options!

If you’re in a rice funk like my little ones, give this cheesy broccoli rice a try. 👍

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Looking for other healthy brown rice recipes? Check these out:

– Brown rice with spinach and Parmesan (Family Food on the Table)

– Confetti brown rice (Family Food on the Table)

– Lentils with brown rice and feta (A Family Feast)

– Brown rice and mushroom pilaf (Piping Pot Curry)

– Easy cheesy zucchini brown rice (Family Food on the Table)

Yield: 4 servings

One-pot broccoli cheese brown rice

One-pot broccoli cheese brown rice

This warm and cheesy one-pot broccoli cheese brown rice is an easy, healthy, delicious side dish with both veggies and whole grains! Kids love it too!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or you can sub olive oil)
  • 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 medium head of broccoli, florets only, finely chopped
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for serving
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds.
  2. Add brown rice and stir to coat the rice in the butter and onions for about 1 minute.
  3. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook the brown rice for 25 minutes.
  4. After 25 minutes, add the chopped broccoli to the pot (right on top of the rice; no need to stir it in yet).
  5. Cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then turn off heat and let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Remove lid and stir broccoli into the rice. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to get everything well mixed and let the cheese melt.
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with extra cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.

Notes

I use white cheddar cheese, but feel free to use your favorite. You could also substitute shredded mozzarella cheese if you prefer.

Need to substitute white rice? Reduce the cooking time to about 12 minutes before you add the broccoli. The rest of the recipe is the same.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328
© Kathryn
Cuisine: American / Category: Side dishes

A large dark pot with brown rice mixed with chopped broccoli and melted cheddar cheese

Comments

  2. Willow | Will Cook For Friends says

    I’m with you — brown rice all the way! This sounds a lot like something my mom made when I was a kid. I always loved broccoli, and smother anything in cheddar cheese and it gets about a billion times more delicious. I am totally going to do this the next time I cook up some rice!

    P.S. Yay for a working oven!!!

    Reply

  3. karrie@TastyEverAfter says

    I can see how this would be a wonderfully yummy side dish but I would eat it all by itself as dinner! Truth be told, I’m happy your oven situation is resolved but also a little jealous because I was just notified that the backorder on my dishwasher was extended by another week! Won’t be getting it until after March 3rd, if I’m lucky. Can you please say a little prayer over there for me? #foodbloggerproblems 🙂

    Reply

  4. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    Broccoli and cheese rice was one of my faaaavorites growing up!! Ohh, memories! I haven’t had it in ages, so I love that you revamped it with brown rice! That’s more in tune with what my old body needs- whole grains. 😉 While I know this would he great with chicken, I could totally eat this on its own for dinner. Me and a vat of this cheesy rice = heaven! Yay to the oven, girlfriend! Super excited it is safely installed. Now go bake me some cookies. 😉 I kid. Kinda. Cheers, doll!

    Reply

  5. CakePants says

    Oh gosh…if this were on the menu at my house, I’m afraid I would fill up on it and forget about the main dish! I love cheesy rice dishes, and the fact that this one has vegetables, too?! YUM.

    Reply

  8. Winnie says

    It’s a fantastic dish !!
    My husband and I love broccoli and I also have all the ingredients at home.
    I’m a vegetarian and it’s perfect dish for me – so I need to try it 🙂

    Reply

  9. Carlee says

    This looks perfect! I love using brown rice and my little guy is in love with both cheese and broccoli. I am pinning to make soon! Thanks for sharing at Throwback Thursday!

    Reply

  10. Frugal Hausfrau says

    I seem to recall back in the day that this is not only a great family recipe but always went over well at potlucks! I’m almost craving it now!

    Thanks for sharing this with us on Throwback Thursday~

    Mollie

    Reply

  11. Holly Hayes says

    I found your recipe via Pinterest and I am so glad I did! I had everything needed so I tried it tonight for dinner and it was a success! The adults loved it. The kids loved it. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  13. ankit kumar says

    I tried this brown rice recipe and it tastes just awesome. I also recommend everyone to try this recipe at least one time you will love this recipe.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  15. Michelle says

    There’s no way this rice will cook in 25 minutes on low! Had to crank it up to medium. Also, one cup equals 4 servings…don’t think so. Hopefully it’s at least tasty, waiting on it to finish cooking now…

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Michelle, The rice is dry cooked for a minute, cooked covered for 25 minutes plus an additional 5 minutes once the broccoli is added. It then sits covered for 5-10 and mine is always fluffy and tender after that. The serving size for rice is 1/4 cup per person, per my package of dry rice that I buy, but I often do more so feel free to increase if you want more!

      Reply

  16. Krueger says

    Is this really cheddar cheese in this recipe? The pictures look like it might be Monterey Jack or Mozzarella because it’s white. Just making sure because I wanna get the recipe right. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi, yes, it’s a white cheddar cheese, which is what I always use. It’s the same taste as regular cheddar, but doesn’t have the color additives. You can use whatever kind of cheddar you prefer. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply

  17. Samantha says

    I think this is a great dish in theory for me. I did not have the best of luck and had to have my boyfriend jump in and fix it for me. I had the rice at a simmer and then put the lid on. I left the lid on for the directed 25 min and added the broccoli for the 5 min and then turned the heat off and left the lid on for 10 min. I then took the lid off and discovered that the rice and broccoli were still crunchy. Not sure I will try a rice recipe again.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I’m sorry you had trouble with the rice! I make brown rice 2-3 times a week and it’s always a 2:1 water:rice ratio and cooks in 30 minutes. Maybe it was heat/stove setting or something? Not sure, but I hope you don’t give up on it!

      Reply

  18. Bonnie says

    This is a great recipe: brown rice, onion, broccoli, cheddar cheese and a little olive oil. I’m trying to eat more vegetarian meals. This his the spot! Whole grains and no lactose! It will be easy for me to digest. I’m still learning how to cook Brown Rice. Your directions made it easy. And I LOVE that it only used one pot! Thanks!

    Reply

  19. Robert says

    Ok so I substituted organic unsalted chicken stock for the water and added organic chicken and apple wood bacon used some regular velveeta cheese and a little jalapeno velveeta and some cheddar cheese

    Reply

  20. Robert says

    Ok so I substituted organic unsalted chicken stock for the water and added organic chicken and apple wood bacon used some regular velveeta cheese and some cheddar cheese ….this was amazing.

    Reply

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