Hey everyone! I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Turkey Day is probably my favorite holiday. I mean, what’s not to love about a holiday that’s all about food. And thankfulness. And more food. It’s pretty awesome.
We always spend Thanksgiving with my family. My mom is a wonderful cook and I look forward to this meal all year. I help out by fixing the broccoli casserole, sweetening the tea, baking the rolls and I usually take charge of one dessert plus whatever else she needs me to do. This year we even put Dad to washing pots and pans as we cooked which was a first!
Broccoli Casserole is a family favorite but one that came later in life to us. As a kid, I would have turned my nose up at it. But sometime during my teenage years, both my mom and I realized we actually LIKED it. And it’s been a holiday staple ever since.
Like most of my recipes, it’s super easy to make. You can also utilize the microwave for the prep work which is convenient since burner space is hard to come by when preparing a big meal.
Broccoli Casserole
You’ll need:
2 10 oz packages frozen chopped broccoli
8 oz Velveeta Cheese product
1 stick of butter
24 Ritz crackers, crushed
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 pan with a spray of cooking spray.
Cook broccoli and drain it well. I cook mine in the microwave in a glass measuring bowl, then drain as much water from it as I can. This is key as watery broccoli will make your casserole runny. Spread broccoli evenly in your pan.
Then melt the Velveeta and half the butter together. I usually do this on the stove top, putting the butter in first then adding the cheese once the butter has started melting. This year though, the burners were all taken so I just melted the cheese and butter in the microwave using the same glass bowl that I heated the broccoli in.
Add the melted cheese and butter to the broccoli and stir gently to mix it up. Then melt the remaining butter and mix it with your crushed Ritz crackers. Spread this on top of your cheesy broccoli.
Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly.
This casserole travels well which makes it great for potlucks. It also reheats well and it is an awesome leftover. If there is any left over, that is!