Broccoli Velveeta Casserole is crisp-tender broccoli coated in a smooth, velvety cheese sauce and baked under a crunchy, golden layer of buttery crackers. It is mild, creamy and salty-sweet on top, and it belongs on a holiday table next to turkey or ham just as much as on a weeknight next to roast chicken. It makes 12 servings in 40 minutes.
How to make it: Blanch the florets for 4 to 5 minutes, melt the cheese with butter over medium-low heat and stir the two together in a 9×13 dish. Top with buttered cracker crumbs and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Velvety sauce: the cheese melts into the butter and coats every floret in a thick, glossy sauce.
- No roux: there is no flour to cook and no soup to open. Cube the cheese, melt it, pour it over.
- Fast: 40 minutes from start to table, and only 15 to 20 of them in the oven.
- Feeds a crowd: one 9×13 dish gives you 12 servings for a holiday dinner or a Sunday supper.
Ingredient Notes
Broccoli: Two pounds, which is about 4 heads. Cut the crowns into bite-sized florets. Frozen florets work too; see below for how to handle them.
Processed cheese loaf: The soft block cheese the dish is named for, one 16-ounce block cut into 1/2-inch cubes. It is the whole base of the sauce and gives the casserole its creamy texture and mild taste.
Butter: Salted or unsalted both work. Half a cup melts into the cheese sauce and 2 tablespoons go on the crumbs.
Butter crackers: One sleeve, about 32 crackers. Crush them in a food processor, or seal them in a large zip-top bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until crumbly. Out of crackers? Other buttery crackers, dry stuffing mix, panko or seasoned breadcrumbs all make a crunchy top.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds broccoli, about 4 heads, cut into bite-sized florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 teaspoon salt, for the cooking water
- 16 ounces processed cheese loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup butter, for the cheese sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 sleeve butter crackers, crushed (about 32 crackers)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, for the topping
How to Make Broccoli Velveeta Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
2. Blanch the broccoli. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the broccoli and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Tip the florets into a colander and drain well.
3. Melt the cheese. Put the cubed cheese and the 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir often until both are melted and smooth, so the cheese doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.
4. Coat the broccoli. Spread the drained broccoli in the baking dish, pour the cheese sauce over it, add the pepper and stir until every floret is coated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
5. Make the topping. In a small bowl, stir the crushed crackers with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, then sprinkle them evenly over the casserole.
6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F. Serve warm.
Creamy, Not Watery: Broccoli, Sauce and Topping
You want silky sauce clinging to every floret and a top that crunches under your fork. Three things decide it: how you cook the broccoli, how you melt the cheese and when the crumbs go on.
Keep the florets bite-sized. Cut fresh broccoli too small and it can overcook and break down when you stir in the sauce.
Stop at crisp-tender. Four to five minutes in the boiling water is enough. Don’t cook the broccoli all the way through, because it keeps softening in the oven.
Drain it well. Let every bit of water run off in the colander. Water left on the broccoli turns the casserole watery.
Fresh or frozen. Fresh broccoli holds its shape and keeps the casserole from going soggy. Frozen broccoli holds a lot of liquid and can turn mushy, so thaw it first and drain off the liquid; it doesn’t need blanching. For steam-in-bag broccoli, microwave it for about half the time on the package.
Melt the cheese low and slow. Cut the block into cubes first, not one big chunk. Keep the heat at medium-low and stir often so the cheese doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.
Work fast once it’s smooth. Pour the sauce over the broccoli as soon as it has melted. The cheese mixture firms up as it cools.
Crumbs last, dish uncovered. Butter adds flavor and helps the crumbs turn golden brown. Scatter them over the casserole right before it goes into the oven and bake it uncovered. Put on too early, the crackers soak up moisture and lose their crunch.
Tips for Success
How do I make it saucier?
Stir 1 cup of whole milk, evaporated milk or half-and-half into the melted cheese before you pour it over the broccoli.
How fine should I crush the crackers?
Crumbly is the goal, whether you use a food processor or a bag and rolling pin. For a chunkier top, crush them only lightly and leave some large pieces.
Variations
- Milk-and-cream sauce with a kick (bigger batch): boil 3 pounds of broccoli for 1 minute. Melt 2 pounds of cheese with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, salt, pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and, if you like, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Stir in the broccoli and half of 3 crushed sleeves of crackers, pour into a 13×9 dish, top with the rest and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
- Crackers on the bottom too: spoon half the buttered crumbs into the dish, pour in the broccoli and cheese, cover with the rest and bake uncovered at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cauliflower: use it in place of all the broccoli or half of it, cut and cooked the same way.
- Extra flavor: stir in 1 chopped onion or 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 2 minced garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, or 2 cups of diced mushrooms.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. The crackers soften as the casserole sits, so it is at its crunchiest the day it’s baked. Reheat leftovers loosely covered in a 350°F oven, or single portions in the microwave, until they reach 165°F; don’t reheat them in a slow cooker. To freeze, wrap the unbaked casserole without its topping in several layers of plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, not on the counter, stir, add fresh buttered crumbs and bake until the center reaches 165°F. Skip the freezer for the milk-and-cream variation: FSIS lists cream sauce among foods that don’t freeze well.
What to Serve With It
Almost any main works. On a weeknight, pair it with slow cooker whole roast chicken. For the holidays, set it beside a slow cooker turkey breast or slow cooker ham steaks, and round out the table with sweet potatoes with marshmallows and easy creamy corn casserole. If your crowd can’t get enough broccoli and cheese, make a tray of baked broccoli cheese balls for the appetizer table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What goes into broccoli casserole with Velveeta?
Four main ingredients: 2 pounds of broccoli, a 16-ounce block of processed cheese, butter and one sleeve of butter crackers, plus salt and pepper.
Can I make broccoli Velveeta casserole ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it up to a day ahead, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate it, but keep the crushed crackers and butter aside until baking time. Let the dish stand about 30 minutes while the oven heats, and allow 5 to 10 minutes more in the oven.
Can I use cheddar instead of processed cheese?
Add it, but don’t swap it in completely: the processed cheese is what keeps the sauce smooth. For an extra cheesy casserole, stir 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated sharp cheddar into the broccoli mixture before baking.
Can I add meat to this casserole?
Yes. Stir 2 cups of diced cooked chicken into the broccoli and sauce before baking; leftover roast chicken, turkey or rotisserie chicken all work. For a full meal, you can also mix in 2 cups of cooked rice.
Final Notes
Cube the cheese and crush the crackers while the water comes to a boil, and the whole dish is in the oven in about 15 minutes. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Broccoli Velveeta Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds broccoli about 4 heads, cut into bite-sized florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 teaspoon salt for the cooking water
- 16 ounces processed cheese loaf cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup butter for the cheese sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 sleeve butter crackers crushed (about 32 crackers)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted, for the topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the broccoli and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Tip the florets into a colander and drain well.
- Put the cubed cheese and the 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir often until both are melted and smooth, so the cheese doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the drained broccoli in the baking dish, pour the cheese sauce over it, add the pepper and stir until every floret is coated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
- In a small bowl, stir the crushed crackers with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, then sprinkle them evenly over the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the center reaches 165°F. Serve warm.
