Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
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
Want to save this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
Tried this for my birthday party and was very happy with the result except that the broccoli was overcooked, so it didn’t look as appetizing as I would have liked. Is there a way to end up with bright green broccoli florets? Wonder about adding them halfway through or steaming separately and adding at the end . . . ? It turned out to be a good birthday present fo myself. A week’s worth of leftovers in my freezer. : )
★★★★
If everything else was cooked well but the broccoli was overcooked then adding it halfway through might be a good idea!
This was awesome! I used white long grain rice because it was all I had on hand. I used 2 cups stock (instead of 2.5 cups) and only cooked for 35 mins. It was picture perfect!!! So yummy. Filling. Thanks.
★★★★★
Glad you were able to use what you had on hand! I’m sure your adjustments with instructions may help someone else!
Love this recipe! Toasting the nutritional yeast really gives it a unique flavor and I never would have thought to try that. This was super satisfying and easy to make.
Thank you so much for inspiring my husband and I on our journey into vegan cooking. We LOVE your YouTube videos, you are so creative!
★★★★★
Welcome to vegan cooking! Glad you’ve been enjoying it!
This works with Farro instead of brown rice!
★★★★★
Great to know! Thanks so much!
Great recipe, I love that it’s so easy AND healthy at the same time. The second time I made it, I didn’t have enough brown rice (about a 1/4 cup) so used 3/4 cup of quinoa and the same amount of broth as called for in the recipe and it turned out fine!
★★★★★
Awesome! Happy to hear you liked it and that your substitution worked out!
Super good and easy! My oven is tiny unfortunately so I couldn’t make it in the oven, but instead baked it in a large pot on the stove and that worked just fine. Wasn’t as crispy on the top as a result, but I didn’t mind. I topped it with a good dollop of tahini, which fits the taste perfectly and makes it nice and creamy. Perfect recipe for a busy and broke university student 😀
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it and hope your schooling is going well!
I don’t have any tin foil and can’t run to the store to get some. Anything you did differently when cooking on the stove top? Or any alternate suggestions when out of aluminum foil? Thanks!
Do you have an extra baking sheet on hand to cover the casserole dish with? Cooking in the oven is the recommended approach, but using an alternate for a lid would be the best approach. Even a silicone baking mat or parchment paper could be an option if you have those.
SO GOOD!! And absolute winner for batch school meals Caitlin!❤ Also dang easy (when you don’t spill the stock all over the oven????????) I’ll definitely be baking this again!!! Xxx
★★★★★
Wuh-oh! At least they were good – haha. Thanks!
I’m always skeptical of putting uncooked rice in the oven but it came out great! I used water instead of broth. I added 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 2. I used frozen broccoli which came out mushy. I will use fresh broccoli next time.
★★★★★
I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out pretty good! However, I couldn’t taste any of the nutritional yeast of any of the cheesy flavor. Instead, all I could taste was the flavor in the rice of the vegetable broth. I was just wondering if that is how it is supposed to be or if I did anything wrong.
Interesting! I thought the Cheesy flavor came through well, but you can always add extra Nutritional Yeast if you would like it to be stronger 🙂
I made this today with a few modifications. I didn’t use paprika or turmeric but mixed herbs & I added some cashew cream to the broth. REALLY good!
★★★★★
Ran across this recipe on Pinterest and can’t wait to try it! Love easy dishes like this! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Maggie!
Hey! If I split this between two 8×8 pans should I adjust the cooking time?
Hm….most likely yes, it will probably cook faster. I would start to check for doneness 10-15 minutes before what the recipe calls for and go from there!
It’s seriously so delicious and easy to make!!! It’s kid-friendly too. Definitely a great casserole to make in advance and eat for a few days, or to throw together on a busy family night.
★★★★★
We totally agree, Veronica! 🙂
Love it!! I would love more super easy dump and bake recipes like this! 🙂
★★★★★
hello sorry this look like a haven recip but i don’t know how much everything is in grams sorry but all the converter don”t say the same things can you help please ?
Ok… WOW!!!! When it was done and I took off the foil the smell hit me! It smells exactly how I remember and tastes almost exactly how I remember! JUST WOW!!! IT’S AMAZING!
★★★★★
Yay!!! Thanks, Jillian!
Oh my goodness, this recipe was SO tasty and SO simple! Perfect weekday meal! When I was a child, my parents made this tuna rice casserole that was so nostalgic for me. Since going vegan I’ve been wondering how I could possibly recreate it but now I don’t need to – this recipe is so tasty and reminds me of my favourite childhood meal, it is the perfect replacement meal! Thanks for posting it!
By the way, I just used powdered stock with boiling water from a kettle and stirred the spices and nooch in there and it worked well, so I didn’t need to use the stovetop!
★★★★★
Awesome!!! Thanks, Jo 🙂
Could I sub something else for the rice? Millet or quinoa ?
That would be a different liquid ratio and cooking time, so unfortunately I can’t say!
This doesn’t need any salt? Or pepper? Or both?
Hey! Nope! The turmeric, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and paprika have all that covered. If you feel so inclined you can add some of that to taste/personal preference.
Very good your recipes
My favorite recipe to meal prep for work lunches! If you have a big enough casserole dish you can double it 🙂 awesome recipe – so tasty!
★★★★★
Awesome – good to know it can be doubled too!
Made this last week for a meal prep-4 days worth of food which was great! I used wheat berries instead of rice and was perfect! Can’t wait to make it again
★★★★★
Glad to know wheat berries work! 🙂