This Southern Broccoli Casserole is wonderfully creamy and cheesy and has a buttery cracker crumb topping. The perfect side dish for any meal.
Southerners have a love affair with casseroles. Whether it’s a family meal, church function, pot luck, funeral, or holiday, there is often a casserole to be had. Green Bean Casserole tends to get all the fame and glory, but truth be known, it’s Southern Broccoli Casserole that gets all the raves at our house.
Unfortunately, aside from the fact that this casserole is based on a vegetable, and a green one at that, there is absolutely nothing healthy about it. Therefore, I only serve it on special occasions or try and pair it with something light. You see, we southerners delight in taking perfectly fresh, healthy vegetables straight from the garden and cooking them with butter, mayo, cream, and cheese. And we’re unapologetic about it. Try some and you’ll see why. Southern Broccoli Casserole is loaded with creamy, buttery goodness which mainly comes from a hefty dose of mayo and a half stick of butter. Don’t skimp on the mayo, it really makes this casserole. Just promise yourself you’ll run 5 miles tomorrow. It will be worth it.
It’s also full of cheesy goodness (broccoli’s best friend) and a buttery Ritz cracker topping. There’s also one ingredient in this casserole that’s a little out of vogue- a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup. Southerners have a tradition of cooking with canned soups, and while we’re appreciative of trends towards cooking with fresh, unprocessed ingredients, sometimes we just need our condensed cream soups for our casseroles. Old habits do die hard after all.
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Watch our short How To Make Southern Broccoli Casserole Video Below
Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped, fresh broccoli florets
- 1 (10 3/4-oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 stick butter,, melted
- 2 large eggs,, lightly beaten
- 1/2 medium onion,, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 full sleeve Ritz crackers,, finely crushed
Instructions
- Place broccoli in a steamer basket over simmering water. Cover and steam for approximately 5 minutes. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine broccoli, soup, mayonnaise, butter, eggs, onion, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Add 1 cup of cheese and mix again.
- Place mixture in a medium buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and crackers on top.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published Sept 10, 2013.
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loved this, I used cream of Celery soup, it’s all I had…and was great
Hi, we love this recipe! Do you think that it could be prepared, baked and then frozen until needed & then thawed and reheated in the microwave. It is always on holidays that I wish that I had two ovens!
My grandmother made this, my mother made this, I make this, my son (and a couple of his friends) make this and my granddaughter, well, she eats this (she’s four – next year old enough to help.
Beware using too much mayo or soup, you don’t want the product to be “too wet,” or too mushy – it’s really better when the broccoli is sorta taste-forward. Also, I use twice as much onion (caramelized first) and some large mushroom caps (lightly sauteed and quartered) to add a bit of texture.
Can I make this without the eggs?
The butter, mayo, cheese and broccoli basically have no carbs. The crackers and mushroom soup would add the carbs — so it’s really not all that bad for you!
I made this to use up some steamed broccoli that I made last night, and wanted to “jazz it up” instead of making an exact repeat of last night’s dinner – but I only had 3 C. of broccoli left over.
So I followed the directions using half-quantities of everything except for the egg (used the whole egg) and the soup (I used the whole can and just added a 1/2 cup more cracker crumbs. I also added 1/4 cup roasted, chopped, drained hot green chile. Here in Albuquerque New Mexico, it’s almost the law to add chile to everything. IT WAS DELICIOUS! I will be making this to bring to our Thanksgiving potluck. 🙂
I added chopped ham and a can of roasted cream corn. Also, I was out of cream of mushroom /chicken so I had to make it from scratch.
My Aunt used to make this for every holiday when I was a kid. I’ve taken over the tradition now. I also add chopped up ham to it and just serve it as a meal. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
Can you use saltine crackers instead of the Ritz ?
This is a recipe my family has used for years minus the butter mixed in with the ingredients. We put all the cheese in the mixture and top the dish with crushed Ritz crackers dotted with butter. What makes our dish different is that we use frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained, and put everything except the crackers and butter in the blender. It comes together like a soufflé
and is delicious.
Very good! Will never make it the old way again!