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A warm and gooey one-pot broccoli cheese brown rice side dish that’s easy to make and a perfect pairing for chicken or pork!
Update: I made a VIDEO for this post! Check it out:
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 just has so much more robust flavor. And, also, give me whole grains any day. Maybe that’s the health and nutrition editor in me talking.
If you’re unsure, 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. 💚
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 (4 1/2) comes and goes with rice, too. Sometimes she loves it, sometimes not so much.
But this broccoli cheese brown rice? I have two happy campers on my hands when this is for dinner!
And it’s 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.
A few notes on this broccoli cheese brown rice:
- I like having the sautéed onions mixed into this, but you could skip that part if you are onion averse. Same goes for the garlic really, but I think it adds good flavor.
- To make this all in one pot, you cook the brown rice most of the way, add in some finely chopped broccoli (just plop it down right on top of the rice; no mixing needed), then finish cooking the rice for the last 5 minutes. The broccoli steams up on top.
- Stir the broccoli in after the rice is done cooking, then turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for a few minutes.
- Then just stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until it’s melted and you’re set!
This broccoli cheese rice goes well with so many dishes, but we’ve enjoyed it with paprika chicken, lemon pepper chicken and maple mustard pork tenderloin. All good options!
If you’re in a rice funk like my little ones, give this cheesy green rice a try. 👍
Enjoy!
P.S. The oven saga continued yesterday. The new one was to be installed 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!
One-pot broccoli cheese brown rice
A warm and gooey one-pot broccoli cheese rice!
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
- 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.
- Add brown rice and stir to coat the rice in the butter and onions for about 1 minute.
- 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.
- After 25 minutes, add the chopped broccoli to the pot (right on top of the rice; no need to stir it in yet).
- Cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then turn off heat and let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir broccoli into the rice. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to get everything well mixed and let the cheese melt.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with extra cheddar cheese sprinkled on top.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 261kcal Calories from fat 43 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 5g | 8% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
| Transfat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 8mg | 3% |
| Sodium 798mg | 33% |
| Carbohydrate 49g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber 6g | 24% |
| Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 8g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
I love brown rice! And with broccoli and cheese mixed in, I don’t think I will need anything other than a big bowl of this and a spoon for a perfect supper. 🙂
Brown rice is definitely the way to go 🙂 And yes, it’s especially irresistible with this combo mixed in!
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!!!
Broccoli and cheese was one of my favorite combos when I was little! And yes, so thankful to have an oven again!
Just made this as a side for dinner last night — deeeelish!
Awesome – so glad you liked it Willow! 🙂
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 🙂
Another week?! Nooooo! I’m sorry Karrie – that stinks. I hope when it arrives, it’s ready to do some serious overtime. 😉
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!
Such a classic, right?! And you know I had to go whole grain 😉 Cookies coming right up!
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.
Cheesy rice is the best, right? And yes, this can absolutely stand on its own as a meal – been there, done that 😉
Thanks for sharing on the “What’s for Dinner” linky! This looks delicious!
Thanks Helen!
This is my idea of heaven in a pot! YUM!
Thanks! Me too 🙂
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 🙂
I love broccoli, too! I hope you give this a try Winnie and let me know what you think!
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!
Such a great combination, right? One of my favorites when I was little, too! Thanks for stopping by Carlee!
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
How can you resist, right?! Thanks Mollie!
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!
I’m so happy to hear that Holly! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Love the one pot meal! So easy!
Yes, such a great one for busy nights!
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.
I’m so, so happy to hear you enjoyed this! It’s definitely one of our go-to side dishes! 😊
I still have broccoli coming out of my garden, so this is a perfect way to use some of it up! We love rice around here – great recipe!
Thanks so much Ally! Hope you enjoy it!
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…
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it Bonnie! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
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
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.
I’m so glad you liked it! Love the bacon addition!