Deliciously cheesy, creamy rice and vegetable casserole. A great go to casserole dish to feed a crowd!
The week before Easter years ago, I did a test run on this creamy vegetable and rice casserole that I planned to make.
It has since become a staple recipe in our house, and I make it often throughout the year!
Since changing my eating habits, I have found ways to enjoy my old favorites in healthier ways.
This casserole has all the amazing flavor of casseroles I used to make, but with none of the unhealthy ingredients.
Since first making this recipe, it has now become my go to whenever I am asked to bring a dish to a meal.
It makes a huge amount and everyone asks for seconds!
Everyone always raves about the flavor, and there are rarely any leftovers!
How to make rice and vegetable casserole
First, you will start with diced up garlic, onion, and carrots as a base.
I love tons of fresh garlic and onion, and this casserole is so big that we use lots of it to add flavor.
Carrots are the only fresh vegetable that you will need to chop, everything else is just dump it in from the freezer.
So simple!
While these are cooking, you will measure 3 cups of dry instant brown rice and cook it according to package instructions.
If you want to use a rice cooker with normal rice, just adjust for serving sizes accordingly.
You will need a very large skillet for this recipe.
The one I am using for this recipe is called a Jumbo Cooker, which I purchased from Walmart.
I am now on my 3rd Jumbo Cooker in the last 10 years, and I can tell you that it is one of my most used kitchen tools!
It isn’t expensive and is my go to for cooking so many meals.
I highly recommend investing in one!
If you don’t have a big one like this, the last step of mixing the casserole together can just be done in your baking dish.
Once the carrot/onion/garlic mixture cooks down a bit, you will add in the cream of mushroom soup, frozen peas, frozen broccoli, 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated parmesan, and 1 cup of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese.
It’s very important to not skip the step of grating the cheese fresh from a block.
This adds tons of flavor, and it definitely will not be the same if you just buy packaged pre shredded cheese.
Just trust me on this! Freshly grated cheese > pre grated cheese any day.
Once your mixture heats up, add in the cooked rice and the chopped up fresh parsley (<— more big flavor here) and stir until everything is all mixed up.
Your skillet should look like this – all creamy, cheesy, and ready for the oven!
Taste a bit and see if you want to adjust the salt or pepper amounts at all. (I didn’t).
Next up, transfer your casserole to a large 13 X 9 casserole dish.
This makes a huge amount, so be sure to use a big dish, as anything smaller will not fit it all.
This casserole will easily feed 8 – 10 people as a side dish, it really makes a ton!
Top your casserole with the remaining 1 cup each of sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
That’s when you can tell that it’s ready to eat!
If you want, towards the end of cook time you can broil the casserole for a minute or two to really get that cheese nice and brown.
I love to do this!
Those browned cheesy bits are the best.
This serves 6 – 8 people as a main dish, and way more as a side.
Perfect for large gatherings, and I’ve even made it as a Thanksgiving side dish before!
Whether you just want a great side dish, or something vegetarian friendly for everyone to enjoy, this rice and vegetable casserole is it.
I have made this countless times over the years and it comes out perfect every time.
It’s my signature casserole dish and I want your family to enjoy it as much as we do!
For more delicious vegetarian recipe ideas, be sure to check out 25 best vegetarian recipes.
More side dishes
- Famous Crispy Potato Casserole
- Easy Roasted Mushrooms
- Roasted Garlic Baby Red Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
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Vegetable rice casserole recipe
Easy rice and vegetable rice casserole that tastes like a million bucks! Everyone goes crazy for this recipe.Vegetable and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10 Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415 Total Fat: 26g Saturated Fat: 13g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 66mg Sodium: 1000mg Carbohydrates: 25g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 2g Protein: 21g
Judy Richardson says
Couldn’t I just buy frozen
veggies with carrots already in them instead of giving and cooking the carrots?
Joy Shull says
I prefer the texture of the fresh carrots in this recipe, as frozen can tend to be softer/sometimes mushy. But if you don’t mind softer vegetables you could do this!
Mary Patterson says
3 cups of uncooked rice seems like a lot. That will be close to 6 cups cooked. Not much room left in pan for veggies. Seriously? 3 cups?
Joy Shull says
Yes, that is correct. I have made this recipe many times. It makes a VERY large casserole enough to feed 10 or more as a side, so if you want a smaller dish, just cut the recipe in half.
Sarah says
Could I use cauliflower rice?
Sonia says
Hi! Any suggestions for a vegan option? I don’t eat dairy . It sounds like a great crowd pleaser!!
Joy Shull says
Unfortunately I haven’t tested it with vegan alternatives, but if anyone has please comment here 🙂
Sarah says
Do you add the frozen vegetables in while they’re still frozen or do you thaw them out first?
Joy Shull says
I add them in frozen!
Michelle Thietje says
Looking forward to trying this recipe for my vegetarian daughter. She dislikes mushrooms, so do you think cream of celery soup would work just as well?
Joy Shull says
Hi Michelle,
You really cannot taste the mushroom in this recipe, but you could definitely try substituting cream of celery soup. I think the results should be similar. Enjoy!
Tia Pasternak says
This recipe is very tasty but the portions are completely off. This made 2 casseroles, not 1 – both in 13×9 casserole dishes. I even had rice left over. Even with the portions off, I would still recommend this recipe, I love the flavors very much. Please revisit – the taste is tremendous. I could salvage the recipe by splitting the recipe between 2 pans and adjusting the ingredients to fit 2 pans. I hope to see this recipe changed to be accurate. It really tastes so good, I forgot it was vegetarian.
Joy Shull says
Hi Tia,
I have made this recipe more times than I can count without issue. It is my go to side dish! Perhaps your baking dish was smaller than standard size, this recipe definitely makes a very large amount! I love it for family gatherings. Did you make the correct amount of rice? If you mix all of the ingredients together before baking there would be no need to adjust the ingredients, simply mix all together and divide into pans if you need more than one. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Bridget S says
Had everything on hand except for rice. Instead of panicking I roasted up a mess of potatoes and used those instead of the rice. I subbed cream of celery soup (I don’t like mushrooms) and my husband was quite pleased!
Susan says
Very versatile recipe! Great guide and easy to tweak with what you have on hand. Thank you very much. Will be going back to this one as it is an easy way to include lots of veggies in a side for the kiddos.
Joy Shull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Tammi says
I made this tonight for dinner. My teenage daughter, who turns her nose up at everything, LOVED IT. in fact she made sure I kept the pin and said to rate it 5 stars (I did).
I only swapped out brown instant rice for regular long grain white because that’s what I had on hand.
Thank you very much for this great recipe!
Joy Shull says
Love hearing this Tammi! So glad your family enjoyed the recipe!
Tiffany says
Do you think this would freeze well?
Joy Shull says
Definitely! This would be a great dish for freezing.
Emily says
Does the recipie mean 3 cups of uncooked rice, or 3 cups of cooked rice?
Joy Shull says
3 cups uncooked 🙂
Kate says
I’ve made the half-size version of this several times already, it’s a huge hit with the husband! Used 1 can (18oz) Progresso cream of mushroom soup, and added about 1.5 cups diced rotisserie chicken breast for more protein. Making it again tonight with different veggies! So good, thank you!
Joy Shull says
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe Kate!
Sarah says
I made this with white rice because of temporary dietary issues – it was wonderful and so easy. It seemed a little dry when I mixed everything together so I added some cream I had in the refrigerator – about 1/4 cup for half the recipe.
I will try it again with brown rice soon!