A cheesy, rich, and indulgent creamy broccoli casserole that is topped with buttery crackers. This recipe is perfect for potlucks and can be made low-carb by omitting the cracker topping.
If you are looking for a calorie-splurge side dish, this recipe is perfect! Made with common ingredients, this casserole is surely not diet-friendly, but it is MEGA tasty!
This broccoli casserole has no rice or chicken. We have perfected it to just have the best parts shine–the cheese & the broccoli! So, if you like a creamy, cheesy, “cheat side dish”–this is for YOU!!!!
Ingredients
This Cheesy Broccoli Casserole features pretty common ingredients that you might already have in the pantry or refrigerator. Scroll down to substitutions to see what you can swap.
Items to have on-hand to make this:
- unsalted butter
- medium yellow onion
- fresh broccoli florets
- cream of celery soup
- shredded cheddar cheese
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- large eggs
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- black pepper
- lemon juice
- RITZ crackers
How to Make Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
- Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket, set aside. Add enough water to fill one inch of the bottom of your stock pot. Once boiling, add steamer basket of broccoli and cover pan. Steam for 5 minutes, drain excess water, and set broccoli aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet, and cook onion until until translucent and lightly browned.
- In a greased 3.5 quart casserole dish, mix onion, broccoli, soup, mayo, sour cream, spices, eggs, 1 cup of cheddar and lemon juice. Lastly, sprinkle on remaining one cup of cheddar, and crushed crackers. Add remaining melted butter evenly to the top layer of the crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Casserole will be browned on top and creamy inside.
Substitutions
This broccoli and cheese casserole recipe is deliciously rich on its own but there are several swaps that will still produce scrumptious results.
Sour Cream- You can skip the sour cream and use plain Greek yogurt if you wish. Additionally, you can use the reduced fat or fat-free version. Of course, full fat always tastes a little better. If you do not have any sour cream at all you can increase the mayonnaise to 3/4 cup.
Mayonnaise- If you want to skip the full-fat mayonnaise, you can use reduced fat or Miracle Whip. However, I find adding at least some (3 tablespoons of) mayonnaise minimally is key.
Cheese- This recipe is very generous with what kind of cheese you can use. I prefer a blend of sharp and mild cheddar, but you could use Mexican Blend, Italian blend, jack, or swiss blends. I do find that using just mozzarella cheese is a big NO- I would skip that one.
Soup- This recipe tastes great with cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup. While it is possible to use cream of chicken or cheddar, I think a vegetable flavored base is best.
Broccoli- This casserole can be made with fresh or frozen broccoli florets. I find fresh is best for that slight crunch and flavor.
Topping- You can use any butter style crackers you prefer, or even cheddar crackers. Just be sure to use at least 1 cup’s worth to cover the entire top of the casserole.
Spices- This casserole is best with cracked black pepper, onion, and garlic powder. I do NOT recommend adding ANY additional salt. You will get plenty of salt from the soup mix, cheese, and mayo.
Onion- While fresh onion is best, you can use any variety you have on-hand. Additionally, minced, dry onion would work. You would need at least 1/4 cup of dry flakes.
Eggs- These are used as a binder. You can use just egg whites if you wish.
Lemon Juice- You can use apple cider vinegar in lieu of lemon juice.
More Casserole to Try
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 3.5 quart casserole dish or Dutch oven
- skillet
- 4 (or bigger) quart stock pot
- steaming basket
- cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 10.75 ounces cream of celery soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 20 RITZ crackers crushed
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket, set aside. Add enough water to fill one inch of the bottom of your stock pot. Once boiling, add steamer basket of broccoli and cover pan. Steam for 5 minutes, drain excess water, and set broccoli aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet, and cook chopped onion until translucent and lightly browned.
- In a greased 3.5 quart casserole dish, mix onion, broccoli, soup, mayo, sour cream, spices, eggs, 1 cup of cheddar and lemon juice. Lastly, sprinkle on remaining one cup of cheddar, and crushed crackers. Add remaining melted butter evenly to the top layer of the crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Casserole will be browned on top and creamy inside. Serve warm.
I made this for dinner last night. Absolutely delicious! I would hide any leftovers just for me 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.