There’s no prep work necessary for this easy vegetable casserole! Rice bakes in the same dish as broccoli, mixed vegetables, and a creamy sauce, then it’s all finished with cheese and a buttery Ritz cracker topping.
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more meatless dump-and-bake recipes, be sure to try this dump-and-bake white bean pasta with spinach, a pan of 4-ingredient baked ravioli, and this dump-and-bake sun dried tomato pasta, too!
Whether you offer this mixed vegetable casserole as a quick side dish with your next weeknight dinner, as a companion for a Thanksgiving turkey, maple glazed turkey breast, or Christmas ham, or as a vegetarian dinner entree, it’s tough to beat the flavor and the ease of this dump-and-bake recipe. Set aside the traditional green bean casserole or sweet potato casserole, and instead give this new side dish a try!
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- For a vegetarian casserole, make sure to use vegetable broth, water, or milk instead of the chicken broth. You’ll also need to use cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup instead of cream of chicken soup.
- While most casserole recipes call for cooking the individual ingredients before stirring them into the dish, this particular recipe is designed for uncooked rice and vegetables. This requires extra liquid in the pan (since the rice absorbs liquid as it cooks), and extra cooking time to make sure that the rice is tender.
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with long grain white rice. Do not substitute with brown rice, wild rice, or instant rice — all of which require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
Directions
What makes this vegetable casserole easy? The dump-and-bake method, along with just a handful of simple ingredients! I’ve included detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Whisk together the broth, condensed soup, and seasoning in a greased baking dish.
- Add the uncooked rice, frozen broccoli florets, and frozen mixed vegetables (yes, still frozen is fine!).
- Give the mixture a stir. Cover your casserole dish tightly with foil so that none of the liquid or steam escapes during cooking. The rice needs to absorb the liquid as it bakes.
- Bake until most of the liquid is absorbed, the rice is tender, and the chicken is cooked through, about 55 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork — do not stir with a big spoon, which can compact the grains and yield a dense texture. The total cooking time will vary based on a number of factors, including the type of pan that you use and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the rice. The rice should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed. Be careful not to overcook the casserole, or the rice will become mushy and gummy.
- Sprinkle cheese and crushed Ritz crackers on top.
- Place the dish about 6-12 inches from the broiler (not too close), and broil for about 1 minute. Keep a close eye on the casserole when it’s under the broiler because the topping can burn quickly.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
As a side dish, the vegetable casserole goes well with Crock Pot bbq pulled chicken, slow cooker pulled pork, a pineapple glazed ham, the easiest cranberry chicken, maple Dijon chicken, easy chicken tetrazzini, cornflake chicken, a ham steak with brown sugar glaze, ham and cheese casserole, and this Crock Pot turkey tenderloin recipe. If you prefer to offer the casserole as a vegetarian main dish, pair it with a batch of cranberry muffins, a simple green salad dressed in red wine vinegar salad dressing, a cup of roasted butternut squash soup, or cranberry jello salad.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The rice will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits and the vegetables will thaw, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. Don’t overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy rice.
- Storage: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The rice will dry out a bit as it sits. I do not recommend storing leftovers in the freezer, as rice tends to get mushy when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Cover and reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also reheat individual portions in a microwave for about 1 minute.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Mixed Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (or sub with water or milk)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, or cream of mushroom soup (I use the Campbell’s Healthy Request variety)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 (12.6 ounce) bag frozen baby broccoli florets (or broccoli cuts)
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (a blend of corn, carrots, peas, and green beans)
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup coarsely crushed Ritz cracker crumbs tossed with 1 tablespoon of melted butter
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In the prepared dish, whisk together the broth, condensed soup, salt, parsley, basil, oregano, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Stir in the uncooked rice, frozen broccoli, and frozen mixed vegetables.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Use a fork to fluff the rice. If your rice is still too firm after 55 minutes, cover the dish tightly and return it to the oven for 5-10 more minutes. Be careful that you don’t overcook the rice or it will become mushy. Sprinkle the cheese and buttered cracker crumbs on top.
- Place the dish about 6-12 inches from the broiler, and broil just until the cheese melts and the cracker crumbs brown on top, about 1 minute. Keep a close eye on it while it’s under the broiler, because the topping can burn quickly.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Try different veggies. Frozen peas or corn, sauteed sliced mushrooms, cauliflower florets, finely chopped kale, and diced or grated zucchini are all good options.
- Use fresh broccoli florets instead of frozen broccoli. The fresh broccoli will be tender by the time the rice is done.
- Top the casserole with other good melting cheeses, including Colby, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, mozzarella, or Swiss cheese. A little bit of Parmesan cheese would be delicious as well!
- Use buttered panko breadcrumbs on top of the dish instead of the cracker crumbs.
More Vegetable Casserole Recipes
Easy Broccoli Casserole
30 minutes mins
Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
40 minutes mins
Southern Squash Casserole
55 minutes mins
How would you adjust recipe to leave out rice or to use pre-cooked rice?
Hi! You’d definitely need to play around with the measurements, but in general, you’d need a lot less liquid if you don’t include the raw rice. You probably wouldn’t need any broth if you’re omitting the rice altogether. If you’re using pre-cooked rice, you’ll just need a little bit of liquid to thin the sauce some. Let me know if you give it a try!