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This Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole is Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and made with only 8 healthy ingredients! Simply add everything to a pan, bake, and enjoy.
The phrase “Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole” sounds delicious in and of itself, don’t get me wrong. But what if I told you that this casserole was also dump-and-bake, dairy-free, and made with only 8 healthy ingredients?
Now we’re talking, friends.
But how is this casserole Dairy-Free, you ask? Nutritional Yeast, of course! Nutritional Yeast (or “Nooch”) is a form of fortified yeast flakes that has a deep umami and “cheesy” flavor to it – without any cheese. Crazy, right?! It can be an acquired taste at first, but once you get familiar with it you’re going to put this ‘ish on everything.
We’re going to toast our Nutritional Yeast before we add it to the Vegetable Broth for some extra cheesy goodness and depth of flavor. It only takes about 2 or so minutes, but makes a huge difference in the final flavor.
All in all, this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole is packed full of good stuff! There’s plenty of fiber, complex carbs, and plant-based protein thanks to the addition of Chickpeas.
Plus, it couldn’t be easier to make. Simply mix all of the Vegetable Broth ingredients together in a pot, bring it to a boil, and pour it into a Casserole dish with Broccoli, Chickpeas, and uncooked Brown Rice.
Yes, you heard me – uncooked! The Brown Rice will absorb the Vegetable Broth as it bakes in the oven and after only 1 hour you’ll have a fluffy, cheesy, and perfectly cooked casserole. How’s that for convenience?!
Once I found out that many restaurants actually cook their rice in the oven, I decided to put that to the test with this casserole. Well I sure am glad that I did, because this rice is SO dang fluffy. And I forsee a lot more casseroles of this nature coming to me in the future 😉
A Few Final Thoughts:
- I used fresh Broccoli Florets for this recipe, but Frozen will work as well – just add them to the casserole dish frozen and do not thaw!
- This recipe is great for Meal Prep or an Easy Dinner; leftovers will also stay good in the freezer for up to one month.
- You can swap out the Chickpeas and Broccoli for another bean/vegetable of choice, but you cannot substitute the Brown Rice. Each grain absorbs a different amount of liquid and has a different cook time, so the recipe will not come out the same.
If you’re looking for more easy Vegan Dinner recipes, you’ll also love this One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff and these Sheet Pan Fajitas!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Chickpeas
This Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole is Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and made with only 8 healthy ingredients! Simply add everything to a pan, bake, and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth (bring to a boil)
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- 2 cups Chickpeas, cooked*
- 2 cups Fresh Broccoli Florets
- 1 cup uncooked Brown Rice Rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add the Nutritional Yeast to a medium pot and toast over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. The yellow flakes will become darker and more fragrant.
- Once toasted, add the Vegetable Broth, Turmeric, Garlic Powder, and Paprika to the pot; raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- While the liquid is coming to a boil, pour the Chickpeas a 9×13″ pan or casserole dish. Sprinkle the Broccoli evenly over the Chickpeas, then sprinkle the uncooked Brown Rice over the top of the dish.
- Whisk the Vegetable Broth well to evenly distribute the spices, then pour the boiling mixture over the casserole dish. If any spices “clump” in a particular area, stir them around a bit with a spatula. Cover the casserole with Aluminum Foil, then bake for 60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve as desired. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.
Notes
- If you are using canned Chickpeas, make sure you drain and rinse them thoroughly
- You can use Frozen Broccoli florets instead of fresh, but do not thaw them
- If you’d like the top of your casserole to be crispy, broil it uncovered in the oven on HI for 5-10 minutes after it finishes baking.
Keywords: dump and bake casserole, broccoli cheddar casserole, vegan broccoli cheddar casserole, chickpea casserole, vegan rice casserole
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My husband thought it was very simple, but that’s exactly what I liked about it. Light, not too filling, healthy, and flavorful. I topped it with Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella because I put that stuff on everything now 🙂
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Alexandra!
Caitlin, my family are big fans of all of your dump recipes! I usually sub frozen peas for the broccoli as the broccoli comes out too mushy for our preferences. I also will toss in a handful of chopped Italian parsley if I have any on hand. Thank you!
That sounds delicious! You can also cook your broccoli separately to your desired texture and stir it in at the end 🙂
This was easy and comforting! I wonder if I could’ve just done it in an Instant Pot…
★★★★★
This is a delicious recipe BUT the broccoli will come out overcooked if you bake it for the full 60 mins! I did that once. Ever since, I only pop in the broccoli for the last ~15 mins and it comes out perfect. Just a tip for others out there who don’t like overcooked vegetables.
Thank you for your suggestion!
So simple and easy to make and very yummy. I loved this so much that I will be including it in our rotation. Thank you Caitlin <3
★★★★★
That so nice to hear. Thank you, Liz!
Thank you for having these delicious recipes. I wanted to know can I chop up a block of tofu for an additional protein boost?
Yes, that should work fine! Just make sure all of the rice is submerged in liquid before baking
I have leftover cooked rice I’d like to use in this recipe. How would that work? You list uncooked Brown rice and bake it in with the other ingredients using 2-1/2 cups of broth, which I assume is to cook the uncooked rice, which I don’t need, or do I need some liquid to keep the dish moist? There’s also all kinds of flavorings and ingredients that your cooking into the broth prior to dumping it into the casserole dish. If I use the broth will it just be soupy or will the cooked rice absorb it? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
If you want to use cooked rice, you can try using only 1 cup of broth and do everything else as written. Adding the 2.5 cups will definitely make this too soupy if you are using cooked rice. I’ve not tried this out myself so I can’t be certain, but if do decide to give it a try I’d love to know how it turns out!
This was good. It didn’t have a “cheesy” taste, the tumeric stuck out but it was good! Instead of brown rice I used white rice and baked it for 35 mins, came out perfectly cooked. Thank you for sharing
★★★★
You’re so welcome, Sal! Glad you liked it.
IF you freeze this, what is the cooking instructions from frozen?
If you freeze this whole, you can reheat in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. If you reheat in individual slices, reduce the time to 5-10 minutes.
I’ve made this once and it was delicious! I want to double the recipe this time, though, so do you know how/if I should adjust the cooking time?
Glad you enjoyed the casserole, Nikki! If you want to double the recipe, you can try cooking it for the usual 60 minutes and checking in at that point. If the rice is still not tender and there is liquid remaining, you can leave it in the oven and check on it every 5-10 minutes until it is cooked through. However, it shouldn’t need too much longer to cook as the extra liquid from doubling the recipe, and the heat circulating through the casserole will cook it at about the same rate. Best of luck!
I’ve been wanting to try out a dump and bake recipe for a while and have been feeling super uninspired/lazy in the kitchen recently, so it was the perfect time to give it a try. It was delicious! I was dubious with so few ingredients but it came out super flavorful. My rice cooked in 50 mins. I added some coconut aminos after it came out of the oven which was a nice touch. And such a well-rounded meal nutritionally: protein, complex carb, veg! It has it all. I’m excited to try your other dump and bakes 🙂
★★★★★
Glad it turned out great, Meghan! Thank you so much for the review.
Hi Caitlin, thanks for a great and easy recipe. I substituted based on what I had on hand. I used canned kidney beans rather than chickpeas and frozen green beans rather than broccoli. It was SO good. I’ve made a note to cook it a bit longer next time as the rice wasn’t done quite enough for me (but soft rice is my personal rice preference and it was fine the way it turned out). Thanks so much and have a lovely weekend. This Canadian loves your vlogs 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much and I’m happy you liked the recipe, Katherine! So heartwarming to know you love my vlogs! 💕