Deliciously cheesy rice and vegetable casserole. A great go to casserole dish to feed a crowd! You can’t go wrong with this classic favorite vegetable side dish.
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 uses more wholesome 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 is better than 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 if necessary.
After that it’s ready to bake!
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 10 or more 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.
Just a few minutes of broiling will get those delicious crispy edges that everyone loves.
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 – Tammi
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
Vegetable and Rice Casserole
Easy rice and vegetable rice casserole that tastes like a million bucks! Everyone goes crazy for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of dry/UNCOOKED instant brown rice, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 (10.5 oz each) containers of organic cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (10 oz) bag of frozen broccoli
- 1 (10 oz) bag of frozen peas
- 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced carrots
- 8 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Measure 3 cups of dry instant rice and cook according to package instructions, set aside
- Combine onion, garlic, carrots, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large skillet
- Sautee for 10 - 15 minutes on medium high heat, until carrots start to soften and onions become translucent
- Add peas, broccoli, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese to the skillet
- Stir on medium heat until heated through, about 10 - 12 minutes
- Add cooked rice and parsley to skillet and stir to combine
- Transfer mixture to a 13 x 9 casserole dish
- Top with remaining 1 cup of parmesan cheese and 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
- Bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees, until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1000mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 21g
Arlene Dimarco
Wednesday 21st of July 2021
Can i make this ahead of time and freeze it? Would i freeze it before baking or after? What's the best way to reheat
Paula
Thursday 1st of October 2020
I just made this for the first time and it’s yummy! My skillet wasn’t big enough to add the rice, so I mixed it all in the bigger dish. I also didn’t realize how heavy this would be, so I had to get my husband to lift it in/out of the oven. Personally, I’d use much less pepper and fewer carrots. Next time, I’ll add chopped mushrooms and put breadcrumbs on top instead of as much parm. Thank you!!
Joy Shull
Friday 9th of October 2020
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe Paula! Breadcrumbs sound like a yummy addition :)
Lisa
Wednesday 2nd of September 2020
This is really delicious. I made it tonight. I didn't have cream of mushroom soup, but I had mushroom broth and made a homemade mushroom soup by adding gluten free flour to the vegetable base after sauteing the onions, garlic and carrots, stirring it in well and adding the mushroom broth and some cream and milk. Oh. and I already had some cooked brown rice and added it at the end. It worked perfectly! Lovely recipe.
Judy Richardson
Saturday 21st of December 2019
Couldn't I just buy frozen veggies with carrots already in them instead of giving and cooking the carrots?
Joy Shull
Saturday 21st of December 2019
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
Saturday 12th of October 2019
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
Sunday 13th of October 2019
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.