Let’s bring back that old Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole …. Rice, Broccoli, Cheez Whiz, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Onion and Celery make this Classic Old Fashioned Side Dish. A pot luck or holiday dinner wouldn’t be complete without it.
Cheez Whiz, It’s As Old As Me!
Did you know they still make Cheez Whiz? It may be one of those things you’ve not had since you were a kid. Can you believe it made it’s debut on grocery shelves in 1953???
As part of the processed food revolution, it brought us a whole new level of convenience, along with a slew of recipe developers who made sure we had hundreds of ways to use this unnatural wonder. When I was growing up it’s favorite targets were hot dogs, sandwiches and taco chips.
And purchasing the pressurized can version, one was able to make pretty little orange squiggles on crackers… or shoot it right into your mouth.
What is Cheez Whiz?
I’ve spent some time reading about Cheez Whiz and the “weird science” involved in creating processed cheese. The articles read like science fiction.
But with that said, in my convenience aisle bliss, I bet I made this casserole at least once a week when I was first married in the 70’s.
Made with Minute Rice, Cream of Mushroom Soup and Cheez Whiz, it was one of the darling recipes of the convenience food industry. And it was delicious. (Affiliate links have been added for your convenience)
No Reason To Try and Fix Something That’s Not Broken
I thought about taking the time to make it without processed food, but decided to take a walk down memory lane and prepare it in all of it’s original glory.
It seemed a little sweeter than it used to. I’m afraid to look at the labels but I wonder if corn syrup is now involved? And don’t get me started on corn syrup, that opens up a whole new glow in the dark can of worms.
Who Invented Cheez Whiz?
Interesting: Edwin Traisman, died at the age of 91. He was a food scientist who, as director of research at Kraft, led the invention of Cheez Whiz. He went on to own five McDonald’s franchises during the 1950s to 1960s.
His wife said that he broke ground by being the first to hire women, even though it violated company rules at the time.
He risked his franchises in order to give equal employment opportunities to women. He also helped to invent a process of freeze-drying which enabled McDonald’s to serve fresh, crispy, high quality Idaho potatoes year-round.
In the 1970s, he returned to his first passion, research, and became a manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Food Research Institute.
When hemorrhagic E.coli foodborne illness became a serious health problem across this country, he initiated research to learn how to kill the pathogen and help keep food safe.
He and his team were the first to discover that cooking meats to certain temperatures killed the bacteria.
In Conclusion
This old fashioned minute rice broccoli cheese casserole recipe is just as delicious as I remember it.
And I also remember adding cubes of chicken breast to this every once in a while to make it a meal. I remember one time my mom got a wild hair and added diced water chestnuts. A nice addition of crunch.
This recipe is perfect for a comfort food side dish. A perfect combo of textures and cheesy flavor.
Don’t forget to drag out your vintage Corning Casserole dish for this one.
Recipe for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole
I hope you give this classic broccoli rice and cheese casserole recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating. Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes.
And if you have a favorite holiday casserole recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Old Fashioned Casserole Recipe Ideas:
And if you’re looking for more side dish recipe ideas, don’t miss my Side Dish Category. Lots of supporting actor ideas. Including this very popular recipe for Best Pasta Salad Ever, made with frozen cheese tortellini.
Broccoli, Minute Rice, Cheez Whiz Casserole
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup onion chopped
- ⅓ cup celery chopped
- ¼ cup oleo oleo is an old name for margarine. Butter will work for this recipe.
- 1 cup minute rice uncooked
- 10.5 ounces Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cream of Chicken, canned
- 1 cup water or milk or chicken broth
- 8 ounce Cheez Whiz
- 10 ounce box frozen broccoli Use broccoli florets, or broccoli pieces. A 12 ounce bag of broccoli works fine for this recipe.
- Pam non-stick spray
Instructions
- Let the package of frozen broccoli partially thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a fry pan, saute the onion and celery in the oleo (butter or margarine) until soft.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir together.
- Turn into a 2-quart casserole pan which has been coated with Pam. Bake uncovered for 30 – 40 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Old Fashioned Broccoli Cheez Whiz Minute Rice Casserole …It’s what’s for Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
My mom made this for all our family gatherings! I’m so glad I found this. Thank you.
Fabulous! Glad you found the recipe. My mom made it for all of our gatherings and I make it for all of my gatherings. Very popular, delicious and kids and adults both love it.
My SIL made this recipe often and we’ve not had it in a good long while. Tonight I had a craving and this did not disappoint. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’ve made this a few times and it is always delicious. Today, I doubled the recipe and added rotisserie chicken to it for a one pan meal…every one loved it!! Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Mary. And thanks for taking the time to write a review for this recipe. I love your idea of adding rotisserie chicken. I’ve added cooked chicken before but for some reason have never thought about that flavorful rotisserie chicken.
One of my favorite dishes for holidays. Everyone asks me to bring this dish.
My Grammy used to make this and I’ve tried to recreate it… this is it! She did add sliced black olives and a can of sliced mushrooms… but the cheez whiz is what I remember most!! Thank you SO MUCH!
I make this recipe using cream of celery soup instead of the cream of mushroom or cream of chicken. I’ve had it with the others and it is good as well, but using the cream of celery soup is my favorite.
It is a great “comfort food” side dish. Yeah, I know…..cheese whiz is not REAL CHEESE. I choose to overlook that and just enjoy it.
Hi Sheila and thanks so much for your note. And the tip about the cream of celery soup. Next time I make this I’ll give that a try. And I agree about over looking that real cheese “thing”. It’s a mighty tasty product.
Hi. I’m a 68 year old Sicilian Grandmom. I first had this casserole when I was 18 years old. My future Mother-in-law made it. I keep the Recipe but somehow lost it. She passed away several years. Imagine my happiness when I found your recipe today. Grazie for bringing back a recipe like this! I’ll be making it today.❤️