Name: Broccoli Rice Casserole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Dinner Recipes
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in chicken broth for extra flavor); 3 Tbsp olive oil; 1 cup onion, chopped; 1 16oz bag frozen broccoli cuts, defrosted (I just zapped mine in the microwave at 1/2 power); 4oz low-fat cream cheese; 1 cup chicken broth; salt and pepper to taste; 1 cup cooked chicken, diced (optional); 1 tsp dried basil; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Looking for a delicious gluten free dinner recipe? Here's an easy casserole recipe that is naturally gluten free, packed with flavor, and great for meal prep. My chicken broccoli rice casserole has all the great flavors you want without any extra work or hassle!

We keep this Broccoli Rice Casserole in the meal plan rotation all fall and winter. It's one of our favorites!

This post contains affiliate links.

Are you looking for a tasty gluten free casserole recipe?

I've avoided making casseroles ever since I went gluten-free. I didn't want to have to make homemade cream-of-whatever soup to replace the canned variety, since that seemed to take a lot of the convenience out of it.

It is nice, though, to just make a big casserole and have lots of food for everyone, especially my children who seem to be on their umpteenth growing spurt. They love this meal, and we often have some leftovers for lunch another day.

So I found a way to make this tasty chicken and broccoli casserole gluten free! Check it out below!

Can I make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it?

You could try it! I'm a little leery about freezing rice dishes because sometimes they don't come out quite right after they're thawed. I think a better option is to make this one as a meal prep recipe at the beginning of the week and use it for lunches, or a quick dinner later in the week!

Can I make this as a vegetarian casserole recipe?

This gluten-free broccoli rice casserole can easily be made as a vegetarian meal, but I usually add cooked chicken to make it even heartier. Since I often have leftover chicken and rice in the fridge, this is quick to pull together and get into the oven for dinner.

If you want to use a different protein or if you want to omit it altogether the recipe will be just fine and still equally delicious!

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

What do I need to make this delicious casserole recipe?

3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in chicken broth for extra flavor)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli cuts, defrosted (I just zapped mine in the microwave at 1/2 power)
4oz low-fat cream cheese
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chicken, diced (optional)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

How to make chicken broccoli rice casserole:

This Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole comes together easily. Remember, if you don't want to include the chicken you can just skip that part!

While cooking the brown rice, I saute the chopped onion until translucent.
I use frozen broccoli cuts to make this casserole prep even easier. After defrosting in the microwave, I add the broccoli to the skillet just for a few minutes to make sure it's heated through and softened.
Then, I add the ingredient to make the replacement cream-of soup. Using chicken broth and cream cheese makes a creamy sauce that's healthier and tastes so much better than what you buy in a can.
Last, add the chopped cooked chicken and dried basil. Mix well. Then spread into a prepared casserole dish. I typically use a 9×12 glass dish or oval casserole.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese across the top of the casserole, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

Looking for more delicious casserole recipes?

Does your family love casseroles as much as we do? Take a look at all the fabulous recipes I've collected on my Captivating Casseroles Pinterest board. Here are a few of my favorites for you to try as well:

There's so many more where that came from so feel free to look around, try them all, and let me know which ones you and your family are loving!

Doing Weight Watchers?

I've been on WW Freestyle since March of 2017, so of course I've added this frequently-made meal to my app! According to the app, each serving of Broccoli Rice Casserole (with or without the chicken) is 7 Freestyle points.

The chicken won't impact your points since it's a free food on the Weight Watchers Freestyle program. If you make other changes to the recipe you'll need to recalculate to make sure that you have the right info!

Printable Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe:

Yield: 8

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in chicken broth for extra flavor)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli cuts, defrosted (I just zapped mine in the microwave at 1/2 power)
4oz low-fat cream cheese
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chicken, diced (optional)
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion for about 7 minutes or until translucent.
Add the broccoli and stir to combine, cooking until broccoli is tender.
Add the cream cheese and water to the skillet, breaking up the cream cheese and stirring to make a creamy gravy that coats the vegetables.
Stir in cooked chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Add the rice and basil; toss to mix.
Transfer to the casserole dish and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Comments

Becca says
February 17, 2012 at 4:07 pm
This sounds so delicious! I cant wait to try it 🙂
Anna says
February 20, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Sounds good.
I make a homemade cream soup base for all my casseroles – it is super easy and really doesn’t take but a minute.
Gina says
February 23, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Anna,
I would love your cream soup recipe–please send it my way!

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (Naturally Gluten-Free)