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.
Thank-you for reminding me how good this is ! I made a half-portion with leftover cooked basmati, steamed broccoli crowns, chicken stock and a small chunk of Velveeta, following your recipe for quantities and additional ingredients, just with a slightly shorter cooking time in the oven. OMG – and I’m not using this lightly! I think the basmati is a game changer. Looking forward to a second batch with the remaining 1/2 can of mush soup. Need to get more Velveeta! Colleen
Don’t have cheese whizz here, I’m not really sure what it is… but you made me really excited about it!
I don’t think you’re missing much. The only thing might be it’s easy melting qualities. 🙂
you get cans of Campbells cheese soup . I do that and make it it with Campbells cream of mushroom soup as well. I learned how to make this in a jr. high cooking class, it is so yummy. I am bringing it to the family Christmas party tomorrow. I hope I can make enough for about 20 people.Everyone have a merry Christmas!
I learned how to make this in a JR high cooking class. I love broccoli and rice so it was a gaiven I would love this. Going to run out and get the ingredients now to bring for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. I have to bring enough for 22/23 people. Merry Christmas!
Thank God we did not have this in Egypt while we were growing up … although it really looks delicious :). Edwin Traisman was a very courageous man indeed.
ok, I had to chuckle about this, I just can’t imagine the marketers advertising Cheez Whiz with the magnificent pyramids in the background. 🙂
I love your casserole dish. I have one exactly like it. I was born in 1953 so I’m as old as Cheez Whiz. Jee Whiz!!!
well…..I didn’t want to say anything …. but me too! 🙂
I haven’t had cheese whiz in ages! Talk about memory lane. 😉 It’d be interesting to compare the flavors of Chez Whiz and Cream of Mushroom soup from the 50s and today. I’ll bet the current versions actually are sweeter. In part because tastes have changed. But mainly because when food processors try to remove fat from products (which they’ve been doing for decades) they tend to add more sugar. For flavor Not a good tradeoff, IMO, but there it is. Anyway, fun post — thanks.
I KNEW IT! Thanks for confirming my suspicions John. As a kid, my favorite candy bar was Reeses. I can’t stand them now because they taste too sweet. I imagine the difference is corn syrup. But I was surprised in the sweet flavor of this dish. Thanks for confirming my tastebuds. 🙂
I can remember friends of my kids squirting this directly into their mouth. They had mothers who packed it in their lunch boxes. I must admit to not being a fan, though I would love to read a biography on this man. He sounds like quite the character!
I really don’t remember much of the canned stuff, but we most certainly enjoyed our share of fake cheesy casseroles.
He was a pretty brilliant man. When you read about folks like him, George Washington Carver, and Norman Borlaug, it makes one feel like a real underachiever, lol. So glad you brought out the Corningware too, perfect dish for this recipe.
Thanks Chris.
Ok comfort food at it’s finest! Looks great! I also love that you brought out the old Corning Ware! So great!
I love my old corning ware, and so glad I’ve kept it all these years.
I love these old recipes from the 1950’s and ’60’s. We loved all those weird convenience foods when they came out and canned cheese and crackers were our favorite snack. Haven’t seen a recipe that calls for oleo in years. Great post, Lea Ann. We thought Velveeta was the greatest thing ever.
I’m in that same generation as you Kathy … with Parents that grew up in the depression, even though they only knew fresh foods, the convenience revolution was a fun way to shop and cook.
Hi Lea Ann, I have just the casserole dish for this recipe, I bet this is delicious! brings back great memories.
I saved all my old vintage casserole dishes … and glad I did.
I loved reading about the inventor and didn’t realize the did research at our University of Wisconsin! He certainly was a forward-thinking person and came up with some great ideas! I didn’t grow up with Cheez Whiz and am a sharp cheddar gal myself.
Wisconsin probably banned fake cheese … ya can’t blame em.
Oh, you’ve made me nostalgic. 🙂 There was always a box of Ritz crackers with a can of the squirtable stuff (usually bacon flavored) by my grandfather’s chair. Great memories of us watching TV and making squiggled designs on the crackers before we popped them in our mouths.
oh my gosh, I had forgotten about the bacon flavored. Good grief, I might just have to buy some.
LOL….yes, that is one from the past. I love this casserole and I appreciate the reminder! My recipe includes sliced water chestnuts….I love the crunch! I will be adding this to the menu for next week!
Kate, I think I remember a water chestnut or two sneaking into that casserole. Thanks for the reminder.
Talk about rolling back the clock – what a classic recipe with both Cheese Whiz and Oleo. Mom always had a jar of Cheese Whiz on hand and she may well have made this same dish. A quickie snack was Cheese Whiz atop Ritz Crackers. Mom and us kids ate Oleo, sometimes colored with the little dye packet, but Dad would only eat real butter and I finally learned why.
I’m surprised we didn’t have more fresh butter around our house. After all, Dad milked cows.
Edwin Traisman sounds like a great guy, always had an interest in food and had a great deal to contribute to how we eat today. I applaud him for hiring women, even it was against the rules. My guess is he had a strong mother who instilled in him the power of women and I bet he married one too. I’ve never eaten this dish, even as a child. My mother never used canned soup but she did use Velveeta cheese to make pimento cheese. In my house it seems we were served the foods my mother liked and occasionally she would please my father with overcooked stinky cabbage. Those were the days. So glad I rule my kitchen today 🙂 🙂
Sam
The processed food revolution was quite an experience. I try to stay in charge of the fresh side of our kitchen, but Hubs will drag in some potato chips and crackers on a regular basis.
In Texas we didn’t buy Cheez Whiz in a can, our brand was Easy Cheese with the long white stem which you turned upside down and squirted on a cracker, or better yet, a large Frito! Ah, those were the days my friend. Glad we know better now (but shhhhh, I still might buy a can on a road trip). I remember this casserole well.
I Googled it before I wrote that and the canned stuff is made by Cheez Whiz. I couldn’t remember the exact name and yes, they still make it with the name, Easy Cheese.
Did your arteries have something to say after this ? 🙂
I loved broccoli cheese rice, and I guess it was made with chez whiz..I never made it, just ate it.
It was delicious. Still looks good!
My arteries were complaining! 🙂
By the way, am I allowed to buy oleo? I thought you had to be at least 90-years-old with ID proof! 😉
If you can find oleo then go for it. HA, maybe I can get my mom to buy some for us. They won’t card her.
I think you know how much I love the rest of the story. Excellent job! I was only allowed the pressurized (canned) ‘cheese’ when friends came to spend the night. Hell, I wasn’t even allowed American slices. (We were a Velveeta family.) — And we were a Minute Rice family too! As long as we’re bringing back the childhood comfort that you’re offering up here, you think we could also bring back those orange-colored waffle-shaped wax harmonica thingys? Not only were they fun to play, but that’s where my wax-chewing addiction began…
Hi Lea Ann, Anything that orange cannot be good for us! I still remember those spray cans of cheese – we’d take them in the car on road trips, and I could just make the kids instant snacks. I have several of those casseroles and still use them often.
I have several old casserole recipes also, I’m dying to make them again.
Hi Lea Ann, can I prepare the minute rice cheese whiz & broccoli casserole before hand & then bake it later.
I’m not sure how far in advance you’re thinking. And I’m not sure what would happen to that minute rice.
I tried Googling a few sites to see if they mention making ahead and even Kraft (original recipe) doesn’t mention that option.
I think you’d be safer by baking it ahead of time and then refrigerating. When you’re ready to re-heat, either in microwave or oven, add a little milk. If it were me, I’d reheat in the microwave for about 8 minutes on 50% power and then check it for heat.
Hi Lee Ann. So my question is you don’t have to cook the rice beforehand??
No, the instant rice cooks quickly in the mixture.