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.
If You Like Classic Comfort Food Try These
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Old Fashioned Scalloped Potato Casserole
- Pan Fried Chicken with Homemade Fried Chicken Gravy
- Old Fashioned Classic Macaroni Salad
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. Do not use regular rice. Minute Rice is a brand name freeze dried product that quick cooks.
- 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 My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
This is a great recipe that goes back quite a ways. It is an all time family favorite. I use boxed frozen broccoli. I also add fresh broccoli to the butter & onions & sauté together before adding the boxed broccoli. I do not alway add the celery since I live alone & rarely use it. I have eaten it with mixed veggies & it was also good. This is one is those recipes you can add just about whatever you want & it is going to taste good. Thank you for sharing the recipe
This is such a classic recipe- someone always brought it to office potluck lunches in the 70s!! Another ingredient that was great in dips and casseroles missing from shelves is the Kraft cheese roll! You can sometimes successfully substitute cheez whiz in those old recipes – thanks for bringing this one back out- i still have all my Corning ware!
Hi. I do not have any cheez whiz and can not get to the store. I do have a block of Velveeta cheese. Can it be substituted? And if so how much do you think would work? Thank you so much. I had googled this recipe and this page came up. I am so glad! I have subscribed and look forward to trying a lot of these recipes.
Velveeta will work just find. Just cube it. And thanks so much for subscribing. My loyal readers are why I do this.
My son still asks for this at holiday gatherings. My original recipe that my mother made in the 70’s called for french fried onion ring topping and using cream of chicken soup. The crispy onions take this to another level. So good. So bad for you.
Hi Amber and thanks so much for your note. Love that idea of the Onion Rings. I’ll try that next time. And as far as the “so bad for you”, my theory about that is that we’re not eating it everyday. And it’s the holidays!
I’m an 80s kid and grew up eating this every Thanksgiving and Christmas, exactly this recipe. The onions and celery are optional in my opinion, I think they threw some of that stuff into recipes back then to make you feel like you were “cooking” rather than mixing and dumping. Either way, this recipe is perfect in all its convenience glory and I will die on the hill that there is in fact a time and place for “pasteurized cheese product”
Hi Meghan! Love everything about your comment. Especially the analysis of the celery and onion for the “cooking” feel. :-). And I’m with you, there will always be a time and place for these cheese products. What would we do without Cheez Whiz or Velveeta???
Agree100%!! Also, my aunt added a can of sliced or chopped water chestnuts.
Hi Meghan – Thanks for your note. My mom did that from time to time. Love that little bit of crunch.
Hi Lea Ann, I’m making my Mom freezer meals for Christmas. She used to make this all the time so I thought I would make it for her. I’m planning to add the chicken so it would be a meal in one. Do you think this would freeze well?
Hi Lea Ann,
How much chicken did you add to this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Bonnie. I don’t remember exactly, but I’d add a cup to 1 1/2 cups cubed chicken breast. You don’t want to over do and make the chicken the focal point of the recipe.
Chicken Divan try “Miss Daisy’s recipe” or it might be listed Minnie Pearl recipe it’s basically the same. Love it!
Hi Mary and thank you for this. Found the recipe under Miss Daisy’s. Will give it a try.
This is the ONLY dish my mother would use cream of mushroom soup in. I searched her recipe box, and couldn’t find it. I don’t recall onions or celery but it’s worth a try. Thank you for sharing.
The way I learned was without onion and celery, but it’s worth a try… at least once 😁
Top with fresh shredded cheddar cheese!
I cannot wait to try this recipe. I will be doubling. Should the cook time need to be adjusted at all?
Good Morning Sarah
It all depends on the depth of the casserole dish you’re using. If you’re using a pyrex style shallow dish, then I’d say there would be no time adjustment. If you’re using a deep dish casserole, then yes, increase the time a bit and make sure it looks bubbly hot before serving.
Hope that helps. And let me know if you have any more questions.
I’m like you. I’ve made this since the 70s or 80s, for sure We love it even my husband who isn’t a broccoli fan.
Back in the day my mom used this same recipe and cooked in crockpot. I’ve been searching for the instructions to cook in crockpot.
I think I’m going to wing it.
I’m glad I finally found your recipe. I needed the ingredients and measurements. Thank you for posting.
Do you have any suggestions cooking this in a crock-pot?
Hi Rita. I’ve never made this is the crockpot, however another reader has reported to mix the ingredients together, then place in a PAM sprayed crockpot and cook on low 24 hours.
I’ve made this recipe except I made a topping of crushed crackers and butter.
Could you use queso cheese dip instead of cheese wiz?
It wouldn’t be the same at all. The Cheez Whiz is part of the nostalgia for all the people here who were looking for the recipe that they grew up on.
I find that the results tend to be dry when cooking in the oven. I get my best results by assembling the ingredients (veggies and rice must be pre-cooked), mixing well and then heating in the microwave. Tip from my mother and I’ve never forgotten.
Hi John, and thanks for that tip. I’ll try it this year.
I make a very similar recipe and everything is microwaved too and no precooking the onions. It’s a must have dish at every Thanksgiving
I’ve made this a few times and it’s always been a hit! Wondering if I could make it a day in advance? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Hi Ashley
I’ve never made this casserole ahead. However, I think you could assemble it and then cook it the day of.
Are you wanting to make it and then travel with it? Or save oven or counter space?
Because of its density, I simply think reheating it would be somewhat tedious. You could reheat in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes. But really that’s about the same amount of time it takes to cook it.
Let me know what you’re thinking and I’ll be able to help more.
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 mom used to make this all the time and it was a big hit around the holidays it was so good but by the time I would get around to it because my plate would be so full I didn’t have room for it,it would be gone I was so disappointed as a kid but I love it so much its so good but I don’t think my mom put onions or celery in it thanks for sharing the recipe because now I get to make it
Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Aly and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment about this recipe. I made it yesterday for my Thanksgiving crowd and they were all exclaiming that I should make it more often than just for a side for our turkey dinner. It’s a great recipe with great flavor. Enjoy.
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.
You are so welcome. And thanks for taking the time to let me know. We love this casserole.
Can u cook in a crockpot?
I’ve never made this in a crockpot, however, here’s a message from another reader: “Just follow directions and place the casserole ingredients in a crockpot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook on low 4 hours.”
Does “minute rice” mean instant rice rather than regular rice?
Good Morning Elizabeth.
Yes, Minute Rice is a brand name that you’ll find in the rice section at the grocery store. It’s a freeze dried product that literally cooks in minutes.
Do not use regular rice.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
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.
I want to double it for thanksgiving. Did you double all ingredients and what size dish is good. Thanks in advance
I have doubled it many times and all ingredients work well. When I’ve doubled it, I’ve always used by deeper Sur la Table 4 quart baking dish. Here’s a link: https://www.surlatable.com/product/sur-la-table-rectangular-porcelain-baker/2292647
You can also try a good ole fashioned pyrex 9 x 13 3 quart baking dish.
One of my favorite dishes for holidays. Everyone asks me to bring this dish.
It’s most certainly popular around our house also. Many requests!
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 always love hearing how people personalize this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to send a note.
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.❤️
Wonderful. So glad you found my site and this recipe.