From scratch, super-easy, Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole with creamy rice, tender broccoli and surprise sausage-y bites. Put everything in the dish raw then bake. Minimal prep, minimal hands on time, maximum comfort!
So you love rice casseroles too? Great! We are on the same team so gather round and let's hear all about my new Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole.
We're talking a from scratch, easy one pan type affair that's loaded with rice, broccoli, some surprise vegan sausage, and a creamy "instant" sauce that's made by mixing the flour into the dry rice in like 20 seconds flat. Because you're awesome like that and it works perfectly for creating the creamy texture that casseroles are known for. Also we must not forget a big handful or two of vegan cheese for the ultimate topping situation.
Comfort food to the MAX!
And I know I'll get asked so I'll mention it here and now. Everything goes in uncooked. Even the rice. No pre-cooking of anything is required. Just like when you make my Oven Baked Garlic Mushroom Rice.
This is comfort food for lazy people and it is ridiculously easy. I mean, yeah, it takes a while to cook. We're talking about an hour give or take. But it takes literally 5 minutes to throw together and the rest is all hands off.
Love Love Love.
So, here's the run down on what's going on here and it's all basic store cupboard stuff:
- Rice - it's a rice casserole so it's pretty essential. I have not tested this recipe with brown rice or any other grain.
- Broccoli - and a lot of it too. You might think I've lost the plot as it looks like a mini forest when you're adding it all, but it doesn't look nearly as much once it's all cooked and stirred in so go with me.
- Garlic, salt & pepper - flavour, flavour, flavour
- Flour - it thickens everything up as it cooks and makes it all nice and creamy. All purpose gluten free flour will be ok instead. Maybe cornstarch but I haven't tried it. And pleased don't use coconut flour. There have been an influx of people using it instead of all purpose flour recently with disastrous results. It will not work as a direct replacement for regular flour in any recipe. In case you are tempted this blog post about it by Blissful Basil stresses my point and is hilarious ----->> It's Not You, It's Coconut Flour: 19 Times Coconut Flour Destroyed Something Delicious.
- Nutritional Yeast - Makes the rice taste cheesy without needing to add a ton of vegan cheese. Also adds umami flavour. I don't recommend skipping it.
- Vegan Sausages - Field Roast Italian if at all possible. They are my first choice for this recipe. If not, any that are herby and flavourful with a good texture. It adds flavour and the sausage-y bites throughout are so good!
- Vegan Milk - unsweetened is essential. Cooks together with the flour to make a creamy sauce .
- Stock - A key ingredient for flavour and also needed for the rice to absorb and cook properly. Whatever one you use make sure it's nice and tasty!
- Vegan Butter - optional but recommended for richness and extra comfort food points.
- Vegan Cheese - for topping. That oozy, cheese pulling situation on top of all that goodness is on point. You are welcome.
How to make Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Combine the milk and stock into a pan and warm on the stove top or in a microwave until it's really hot and almost about to boil.
While that's happening, put the dry rice in the casserole. Add the other dry ingredients. All of them. Then stir it up.
Sprinkle over the sausage pieces then pour over the heated liquid and stir.
Plant the trees, i.e lay the broccoli all over the top, stalk down until it looks like you've got a little forest going on. Dot some vegan butter over the top, and oops I forgot to photograph that bit .....
Bake uncovered until the rice is just tender with a little bite, then give it a stir.
Sprinkle over the cheese and cover with tin foil or a tight fitting lid and put it back in the oven for a little while. The foil/lid helps trap steam and encourages the cheese to melt and the rice to become softer.
Remove the foil and serve!
It's almost like a risotto without the work. The rice turns out cooked beautifully and the broccoli still retains some bite and is not soggy in the slightest. And that delicious sausage kind of melts into the rice leaving little surprise chunks.
How to store/reheat
Cool leftovers quickly and store them covered in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, add a drop of water for moistness (just a couple tablespoons), then reheat covered in the oven on 350°F (175°C). How long depends on how much you are reheating but at least 15 minutes. Possibly up to 25. Just make sure it is piping hot.
You can also use a microwave to reheat it. Again, just make sure it is piping hot.
Success tips
Success tips- Use a 3 quart/ 2.8 litre ceramic or glass oven proof dish that is approximately 9 x 13 x 2 inches in size. Any significant change to this, like using a smaller, deeper dish, could make the rice take longer to cook. And don't use anything smaller than 3 quarts because it won't all fit in. Metal pans or disposable aluminum pans won't radiate the heat effectively and you will have problems getting the rice to cook evenly and thoroughly.
- Follow the recipe exactly for ultimate results.
- Don't use frozen broccoli. It will turn to mush. Fresh is best.
- The initial bake must be uncovered. You only need to cover it in the final 10 minutes to finish off the rice and melt the cheese. If you were to bake it covered the entire time it would end up too liquidy and the broccoli would steam and get really soggy.
- Try your best to get hold of Field Roast Italian sausages. They are really, really good in this.
- For ultimate richness don't skip the butter
- Costco sell big bags of pre-prepped broccoli florets and they are just the right size for this and make it even quicker and easier :O)
So there we are. This food, fall in general, is my happy place and this is what you call EASY vegan comfort cooking!
Chuck it all in. Bake. Cheese it up. Serve.
Yay. Winning at life.
If you love one-pot, rice based dishes then check out my One-Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice, Easy Savoury Rice, my Oven Baked Garlic Mushroom Rice and my Teriyaki Instant Pot Rice too!
Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3¼ cup / 780 ml unsweetened vegan milk of choice
- 4 cups / 960 ml flavourful broth/stock
- 2 cups / 400 g uncooked white long grain rice * see notes for alternatives
- ⅓ cup / 42 g all purpose flour , (plain flour in the UK). For GF use an all purpose GF flour.
- ½ cup / 56 g nutritional yeast
- 4 cloves garlic , very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 / 184 g Field Roast Italian Sausages ** see notes for alternatives
- 2 large heads fresh broccoli ***
- 1 cup / 112 g vegan cheese shreds ****
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter ***** optional
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (180 c) and have a 3 quart / 2.8 L ceramic or glass ovenproof dish (roughly 9x13x2inch) ready.
- Wash and cut the broccoli up into florets. You can leave quite a long stalky bit on each one to save wasting it.
- Combine the vegan milk and stock in a pan and warm over a medium heat on the stove top until very hot, almost about to boil.
- Meanwhile, add the rice, flour, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper to the oven proof dish. Stir together to combine.
- Slice the sausages into thin rounds and scatter them across the top of the rice mixture.
- Once the liquid is hot, pour it over the top of the rice and sausage mixture.
- Cover the entire top in broccoli florets. Plant them stalk down in the rice-y liquid. Then if you are using the butter, dot little blobs all over. Doesn't matter where.
- Put in the oven uncovered and bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Use a spoon to dig under the broccoli and taste a piece of rice. It should be soft, or almost cooked, with just a little bit of bite. If it's at that stage continue to the next step. If it's still hard, cover the dish with tin foil or a lid and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Then continue.
- Stir it well so the broccoli becomes mixed up through the rice, then sprinkle over the vegan cheese. Cover with tin foil and return to the oven for 10 minutes so the cheese can melt and the rice can continue cooking just a little bit more.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil and serve up immediately.
NOTES
Cool leftovers quickly and store them covered in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a drop of water for moistness (just 2 tablespoons), then reheat covered in the oven on 350°F (175°C). How long depends on how much of it you are reheating, but it will be at least 15 minutes. Possibly up to 25. Just make sure it is piping hot before serving. You can also use a microwave to reheat it. Again, just make sure it is piping hot.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Christal says
We liked the flavor but I followed the recipe exactly and our rice was still crunchy in some parts. I’d love to try it again. Any suggestions? Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
Sorry you had issues. Some questions that might help determine what happened:
Did you use white long-grain rice? It's the only rice this recipe has been tested with.
Was your dish ceramic or glass? Any other type won't cook the rice evenly.
Was the liquid heated up to just about boiling before adding? That step is important.
Did you follow the step to cover tightly with foil and cook for a bit longer?
I hope that helps!
Kylie Brown says
So much broccoli.....seems un realistic. I used 6 cups and it was more than enough. Also, it’s a little bland ... I’m going to experiment with seasoning the broccoli. Overall, it’s a good idea. Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
It's about 2 large heads of broccoli between 6 people. That's not a huge amount considering it's a main ingredient in the dish. Broccoli shrinks down a lot when roasting too so it doesn't seem anywhere near as much when it's cooked. It's important that the broccoli more or less covers the rice while it's cooking as it helps the rice cook properly, and it adds important flavour too. Hope that helps!
Tony M says
I was skeptical about the sheer amount of liquid going into this recipe, but it turned out perfectly. I'm always looking for ways to use nutritional yeast and this results in a great, yet simple, nutritional yeast cream sauce. The only change I made was, I had a smaller head of broccoli, so I added mushrooms to make up the rest of the bulk. This recipe is definitely going to be a keeper.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you enjoyed it Tony. Mushrooms are a great addition!
Danie says
Is the vegan cheese on top really necessary? I loath vegan cheese as it usually contains a whole lot of chemicals and not much food based ingredients. Thx in advance!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can omit it if you prefer.
DAVID ROCKWELL says
Melanie,
Love Casseroles, so tried this recipe first. Love the taste.
Used Field Roast Italian Sausages -- the spices were fantastic!
Just what I wanted.
Exception: I used Brown rice in baking vs. White Rice in Recipe.
Your comment about "need adjusting to work with Brown Rice"
was confusing. What is the adjustment?
My baking took much longer than recipe since the liquid was not
absorbed in 55 minutes. Could this be from Brown Rice? Thanks
p.s. I now have your cookbook "Vegan Comfort Cooking".
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it! As I mention in the recipe, it has only been tested with white rice because that's the best option for a casserole like this as it cooks easily and in a reasonable time in the oven. Brown rice takes much longer to cook (which would end up being way too long for most people when cooking dinner) Brown rice also needs a different volume of liquid to white rice especially when being cooked for an extra long time in the oven because of increased evaporation.
That's why the recipe needs adjusting if you use it, but I can't advise on changes that need to be made because I haven't tested it. Testing each recipe takes a lot of time and unfortunately it isn't possible for me to test different substitutions.
Hope that helps!
María says
Thanks for your recipes
Sorry for your loss
God bless you .
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Maria ♡
Mary Anne says
It was delicious- I needed it gluten free so used Beyond Meat sausages which are gluten free. Field Roast variety in Canada is not unfortunately.
Patricia Giannelia says
Great recipe and looking forward to trying it - also would like to experiment with brown rice. One comment re gravy thickeners. I have used potato starch/flour for years, originally when cooking for some friends who needed gluten-free, and then because I found it made a smoother gravy than wheat flour.
DORIS R SMITH says
I haven't tried this yet, but would love to. However, I am cooking just for me, so often freeze portions for later enjoyment. Have you tried freezing left overs? Though I imagine the broccoli will get somewhat soggy after freezing, the rest should be good, don't you think? Anxious to try this. Your recipes have consistently been delicious. The only site I've found I can say that about! Thank you so much for your delicious recipes and ideas!
Melanie McDonald says
Aaaww thank you! That means a lot.
I have not tried freezing this. I agree that the broccoli might get a bit soggy but like you say, rice generally freezes well so the rest of it should be ok.
This recipe does make a lot but you could scale it down by half and use a smaller dish to cook it in. Maybe if you make a scaled down version you could try freezing a very small portion to see what happens? Then you will know for next time. It keeps really well in the fridge for a few days and reheats well too.
To save you doing the math, if you hover your mouse over where it says "serves 6" in the recipe card, specifically over the number 6, or tap the number on mobile, a little slider appears which allows you to change the number of servings. It then changes all of the ingredient measurements automatically to suit.
I hope that helps!