Sausage and Broccoli Casserole

•6 comments

Sausage and Broccoli Casserole is a comforting dinner recipe! You can also serve this casserole as a Thanksgiving side dish instead of stuffing!

Looking for more casserole recipes? Casserole recipes like this make dinner planning easy! Also be sure to check out our Tater Tot Casserole with Ground Beef and low carb Philly Cheesesteak Spaghetti Squash Casserole!

casserole with a serving spoon from the top

An Easy Rice Casserole Recipe For At Home Or On The Go!

Dinner recipes like this one come in handy for so many different situations. We love making broccoli rice casseroles just for an easy dinner at home that will allow us to actually have leftovers for another meal.

But also, the flavor of this Sausage and Broccoli Casserole really stands above the rest. I love that this recipe has tons of Italian sausage to make this casserole feel more like a meal than a side dish. Sausage, broccoli, mushrooms and brown rice go so well together you’re not going to be able to stop eating it.

Just to mention, we often make this casserole as a side dish to our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!

How to Make Sausage and Broccoli Casserole

When I was coming up with this recipe I was trying to figure out which carb to use, rice or noodles. A lot of the times these things happen depending on what we have in the house, we always have pasta of all different kinds and rice too…

But then you have the extra step of cooking the pasta or the rice first before adding it to your casserole. Unless you use frozen rice right from the freezer and toss it right in there.

sausage and broccoli casserole collage for pinterest

So to make the filling you brown the sausage first, then drain the grease and keep the sausage set aside. In the same skillet, brown the mushrooms and onions then add the sausage back with the broccoli and start the cream sauce.

We love adding white wine to this sauce, the flavor that wine adds is awesome. If you don’t want to add wine or maybe you just drank it all the night before just add chicken broth instead.

Now pour in cream and chicken broth to make a rich, tasty cream sauce that becomes the base of this broccoli casserole.

sausage and broccoli casseerole in a baking dish with parsely

Here comes the fun part, toss the filling with 2 bags of frozen brown rice, right from the freezer. The mixture will seem loose before baking but when the rice cooks in the oven it will absorb the liquid and cook the rice perfectly.

No mushy rice in our casserole! Look at how perfectly the rice is cooked here. To be honest, I wouldn’t make a broccoli rice casserole any other way except with frozen rice again

Can You Make This Casserole Recipe Ahead Of Time?

You definitely can! Just make this recipe through until right before baking. Let the casserole cool and cover with foil, then keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it. The rice will absorb some of the sauce, so if you make it ahead of time it will be slightly less creamy, but still crazy delicious.

Let the dish come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking and then bake per the instructions in the recipe card. You can also bake this casserole though to the end, let it cool and then reheat it too!

spoon of sausage and broccoli casserole in dish

Top this Sausage and Broccoli Casserole with parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs and bake until crispy. Whether you’re serving this for dinner at home or taking it with you to a potluck or dinner party, this dinner is going to be a hit!

What Other Ingredients Can I Substitute In This Recipe?

If you’re not an Italian sausage fan, there’s plenty of other options! Try using ground beef or ground pork, even ground turkey or chicken! Shredded, leftover chicken or turkey will work here too, even a rotisserie chicken from the store!

Looking for a vegetarian option? Just substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and leave the meat out altogether. This will work both for a vegetarian meal or a side dish recipe!

Other vegetable options can include peas, carrots, chopped asparagus, shaved brussels sprouts or spinach.

PIN IT!

broccoli casserole recipe collage for pinterest

Looking for More Casserole Recipes?

Print
spoon of sausage and broccoli casserole in dish

Sausage and Broccoli Casserole

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

This Sausage and Broccoli Casserole recipe is such a comforting dinner idea! This broccoli rice casserole recipe is great for potlucks, holidays or dinner at home!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (can also substitute dried thyme or other dried herbs like basil & oregano)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked, chopped fresh broccoli (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)
  • 2 (10 ounce) bags frozen brown rice
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Add the sausage to a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the sausage, breaking up as it cooks. Once the sausage has browned, remove it from the skillet and add to a large bowl, leaving any drippings in the pan.
  3. Add the butter to the skillet. Once the butter is melted, add mushrooms and onions, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have browned and the onions have softened, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer, then sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and onions. Stir to combine the flour completely, cooking for about 1 minute.
  5. Pour the wine into the skillet mixing into the mushrooms and onions, then let the wine reduce for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream and stir. Let the sauce come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to thicken.
  6. Add the chopped broccoli, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the frozen rice to the bowl with the sausage. Pour in the sauce from the skillet and stir to combine the ingredients together.
  7. Pour into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove the casserole from oven, take off the foil and top with remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the panko bread crumbs.
  9. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or you can place the casserole under your broiler for 5 minutes for an extra crispy topping!
  • Category: DInner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

 

You Might Also Like:

6 Responses
  1. Rachel Lelah

    Can high has cauliflower rice instead. Assuming I wouldn’t cook with the cauliflower just add it later?

  2. Brianna

    What if I don’t have frozen rice (honestly- have never heard of it)? Do i use uncooked or cooked rice? Cooked rice and then freeze it?

    1. Dan

      Frozen rice is readily available in most grocery stores, right in the frozen vegetable section. The reason we use frozen rice in this recipe is that when it soaks up the liquid it doesn’t get mushy. If you can’t find frozen rice I would try using day old, cooked rice.

    1. Dan

      You can make this ahead and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and reheat right in the microwave. We recommend freezing in smaller portions, thawing in the refrigerator and then warming in the microwave or oven.

Leave a Reply

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Cocktails and Drinks

Side “Bar”

Try some of the cocktails and drinks we’re mixing up this week!

VISIT THE COCKTAIL BAR