This easy Broccoli cheese Casserole recipe is a creamy vegetable side dish made with condensed cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese that is guaranteed to please every member of your family!

Broccoli Cheese Casserole in black casserole dish

This Cheesy Broccoli Casserole is one of my all-time favorite side dishes. It’s a simple broccoli cheese casserole recipe using cream of mushroom soup and lots of cheddar cheese for the perfect creamy sauce.

You can easily make this dish ahead of time which makes it a great addition to a holiday meal or weeknight dinner. Some condensed soup, sour cream, and cheese to fresh broccoli and your kids will be begging for more!

Serve it alongside any chicken dish, roasted turkey or baked ham to bring your meal to the next level!

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Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Broccoli – We recommend using fresh broccoli heads or broccoli florets, but you can use frozen if necessary. Please note that using frozen broccoli will change steps 1 and 2 in this recipe and will make your casserole ‘mushier’.
  • Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – Any brand will do.
  • Sour cream – Adds to the creaminess of your casserole.
  • Cheddar cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese best compliments the broccoli flavor, but feel free to use whatever cheese you and your family prefer.
  • Kosher salt – Feel free to add some black pepper to taste as well for a little extra spice.

Just like out Instant Pot cheesy chicken and broccoli with rice you can make this a main dish instead by adding some fully cooked diced or shredded chicken.

Instructions

Step 1 – Prepare Oven. Preheat oven to 400° F.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole made with fresh broccoli

Step 2 – Prepare broccoli. Cut broccoli into spears. Boil or steam the broccoli until it has softened (but is still slightly firm). About 5 minutes. Once cooked remove broccoli from heat and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Dry the broccoli slightly before laying the spears in a casserole dish with the florets facing out. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Note: I like arranging the broccoli like this because I think it makes a nice presentation for holidays. That being said you can certainly cut your broccoli into florets (or buy pre-cut broccoli) and fill the casserole dish with the smaller pieces before covering with the mushroom soup mixture and cheese.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole made with mushroom soup

Step 3 – Prepare mixture. In a bowl, stir together the Cream of Mushroom soup and the sour cream. Pour soup and sour cream mixture down the middle of your broccoli spears.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole topped with cheese

Step 4 – Cheese it. Cover the soup and sour cream mixture with shredded cheese.

Step 5- Cover and bake. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Broccoli Cheese Casserole in black dish
How do you blanch broccoli for casserole?

Blanching is a way to help preserve your vegetables for a longer time, as well as helping to remove pesticide residues and decreasing microbial load. It is usually done prior to freezing, drying, or canning vegetables. It is done by dunking the vegetable in boiling water for a short time to scald it, then dunking it in ice water to stop the processes.

To blanch the broccoli for this recipe, you’ll want to bring a large pot of water to a boil and then either drop the broccoli into the boiling water or add the steamer basket and place your broccoli in it.

Cook the broccoli for 2-3 minutes until it is bright green and starts to soften but still has a crunch.
Drain the water, or remove the steamer basket, and then run the broccoli under cold water to stop the cooking process. Dry the broccoli by patting it lightly with a paper towel.

Should broccoli be cooked before adding to a casserole?

Yes. The broccoli should be blanched before adding it to the casserole. This softens the broccoli just slightly before adding it to the baking dish.

Make sure not to overcook the broccoli when blanching it. You don’t want it to turn to mush as it’s baking. 2-3 minutes of boiling or steaming is all you need!

Do you put egg in broccoli casserole?

No, this cheesy broccoli casserole does not require any eggs. The cream of mushroom soup and sour cream make a creamy sauce that covers the broccoli.

Can I substitute frozen broccoli for fresh in a casserole?

I don’t suggest using frozen broccoli for this recipe because it becomes a little mushier as it bakes.

However, if you need to use frozen broccoli, you can. Just make sure to heat or thaw the broccoli a little before adding it to the casserole.

Can you freeze cooked broccoli cheese casserole?

We don’t recommend freezing this casserole as the broccoli becomes overcooked when it is reheated. The sour cream and cheddar cheese can separate during reheating as well leaving you with an unpleasant texture in the creamy sauce.

How long can you keep broccoli casserole?

This casserole leftovers should be tightly sealed with plastic wrap. You can store it in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How do you reheat broccoli cheddar casserole?

This is a simple casserole to reheats. If you are reheating the entire dish you can cover it with foil and place it in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until it is warmed through.

If you are warming a single slice you can cut it and put it on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole topped with cheddar cheese

How to make it ahead of time

If you want to make this casserole ahead of time to make Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter dinner a little less stressful, you can totally do that. Just assemble everything and then cover tightly, preferably in an airtight container, and put it in the refrigerator instead of baking it.

The next day when you’re ready to prepare your sides remove it from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap then pop it in the oven and bake according to the instructions.

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Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

This Broccoli Casserole, made with mushrooms, sour cream and cheddar cheese is creamy and delicious. The perfect side dish recipe to serve with any meal.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole in black casserole dish
Print Recipe
4.67 from 3 votes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° F
  • Cut broccoli into spears.
  • Boil or steam the broccoli until it has softened (but is still slightly firm). About 5 minutes.
  • Once cooked remove broccoli from heat and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  • Dry the broccoli slightly before laying the spears in a casserole dish with the florets facing out. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
  • In a bowl combine the Cream of Mushroom soup and the sour cream. 
  • Pour mushroom mixture down the middle of your broccoli spears.
  • Cover mushroom mixture with shredded cheese.
  • Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in over at 400° F for 20 minutes then remove foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 580mg, Potassium: 584mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1407IU, Vitamin C: 136mg, Calcium: 301mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: broccoli cheese casserole, cheesy broccoli casserole