Southwest Broccoli Rice Casserole

This easy-to-bake Southwest Broccoli Rice Casserole is a delicious twist on a classic comfort dish. Featuring tender broccoli, fluffy rice, pinto beans, corn, and zesty Southwestern spices, this casserole is both nourishing and satisfying..Topped with your favorite salsa, it’s a healthy weeknight dinner that easily extends to lunchtime leftovers.

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This Southwest Broccoli Casserole is a big hit with my friends and family, even for those who don’t consider themselves vegetarian. This is not your typical broccoli rice casserole. The addition of corn, peppers, pinto beans, and rice adds layers of flavor and texture to make this a great go-to comfort meal. Make it vegetarian or vegan, either way, it’s delicious.

Ingredient Notes for Southwest Broccoli Casserole

• Broccoli: This is the star ingredient, obviously. The broccoli needs to be steamed before mixing it with the other casserole ingredients. I use a silicone steamer, one of my favorite kitchen tools. Put chopped broccoli into the steamer, cover, and microwave for about 4 minutes. Voila! Perfectly steamed veggies. You can certainly use a traditional steamer as well.

• Pinto Beans: I typically use canned beans for the sake of convenience and time. I recommend draining them through a colander and giving them a quick rinse.

• Corn: I am a big fan of frozen corn. It is so much healthier and crunchier than canned and just as healthy as fresh. Plus, it’s a huge time saver. If you want to use fresh, I like to cook the ears in the oven and roast them on the grill or gas burner.

• Leafy greens: I try to add greens to every meal when possible. Dark leafy greens are full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Research has shown that eating 2 to 3 servings of green leafy vegetables per week may lower the risk of breast, skin, and stomach cancer and decrease the risk of heart disease. There are many varieties of leafy greens, but I typically use a blend of spinach, kale, and chard called Super Greens which I can buy at my local HEB grocery store. If you don’t live in Texas, look for something similar at your local grocery store.

• Rice: I use yellow or saffron rice for this recipe, but you can use any variety of rice you prefer. I like to cook rice the day before which allows it to cool and regain it’s firm shape and texture and prevents mushy rice.

• Egg: Because this is a casserole, you need some kind of binder to help hold the ingredients together. I used one egg but you can use an egg substitute or vegan binder alternative.

• Cheese: I think cheese is really important in this dish. Not only does it act as an additional binder, but it complements the flavor profile perfectly. I have used both sharp cheddar cheese and Violife Vegan Cheddar Shreds. Use whatever cheese works for you.

Cooking and Preparation Tips

• This dish essentially requires assembling ingredients into a casserole dish and cooking in the oven until heated through. The broccoli and rice need to be cooked beforehand. This can be done the day before, making this a super quick and easy weeknight meal.

• When steaming the broccoli, make sure you don’t overdo it. The broccoli should be tender but not soft, and still have a bright green color.

• You can make this meal completely vegan but substituting the cheese and egg with their vegan counterparts.

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Got Leftovers?

• This can be kept in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

• My husband likes to have the leftovers for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

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