Broccoli Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup is the old-fashioned holiday side: tender broccoli and onion in a creamy mix of cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, eggs and cheddar, baked under a layer of cheese and buttery Ritz cracker crumbs. It serves 8 and takes 40 minutes from start to finish.
How to make it: Steam the broccoli and onion in the microwave for 3 minutes and drain them. Stir in melted butter, the soup, mayonnaise, eggs, seasoning and half the cheddar, pour it into a 9×13 dish, top with the rest of the cheese and crushed crackers, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pantry-easy: a can of soup, mayonnaise, eggs, cheddar and a sleeve of crackers.
- No stovetop: the broccoli steams in the microwave while the oven heats.
- Crunchy and creamy: buttery cracker crumbs over a cheesy, custardy filling.
- Made for a crowd: one 9×13 pan for holidays, potlucks and Sunday suppers.
Ingredient Notes
Broccoli florets: Six cups of fresh florets, rinsed and still dripping wet so they steam in the microwave.
Onion: Half a yellow onion, diced, steamed with the broccoli.
Cream of mushroom soup: One 10 3/4-ounce can of condensed soup, straight from the can.
Mayonnaise and eggs: Three-quarters of a cup of mayonnaise and 2 large eggs stirred into the soup make the creamy filling.
Butter: Four tablespoons, melted and mixed into the filling.
Cheddar: Two cups, grated. Half goes into the filling and half on top.
Ritz crackers: One cup, finely crushed, scattered over the cheese.
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 ounces)
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated and divided
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, finely crushed
How to Make Broccoli Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Steam the broccoli. Put the dripping-wet broccoli florets and the onion in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes.
3. Mix. Drain the water from the bowl. Add the melted butter, mushroom soup, mayonnaise, eggs, salt, pepper and 1 cup of the cheddar and mix well.
4. Top. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and the crushed crackers.
5. Bake. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and the center reaches 165°F.
Does the Broccoli Need to Be Cooked First?
Not fully, but it needs a head start one way or another. There are two ways to handle it, and both give tender broccoli in a creamy, set filling.
Steam it briefly (this recipe). Rinse the florets and put them in the bowl still dripping wet, with the onion. Cover the bowl with a wet paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Then drain off every bit of water in the bowl before the soup and mayonnaise go in. After that short steam, 30 minutes at 350°F is all it needs.
Bake it from raw. Toss raw florets with the sauce and cheese in the 9×13 dish, add the topping, cover the dish and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Then uncover it and bake about 30 minutes more, until golden and bubbling. It takes longer, but there is no bowl to wash.
Either way, the casserole is done when the edges bubble, the top is golden and the center reaches 165°F. It has raw eggs in the filling, so make sure the middle is hot all the way through.
Tips for Success
How do I keep the casserole from turning watery?
Drain the steamed broccoli well. The water left in the bowl after microwaving goes down the sink, not into the dish.
How fine should I crush the crackers?
Finely. Pulse them in a food processor until they are fine crumbs, then scatter them evenly over the cheese.
Can I use sharp cheddar?
Yes. Sharp cheddar works in the filling and on top.
Variations
- Panko and Dijon: for the sauce, mix the can of soup with 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, half a small grated onion, 2 teaspoons of onion powder and 2 beaten eggs. Use 1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar, and top with panko tossed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead of crackers. Bake from raw at 375°F as described above.
- Broccoli rice casserole: soften 1 cup of diced onion in 5 tablespoons of butter for 3 to 4 minutes, whisk in 1/4 cup of flour, then 2 cups of chicken broth, the soup and 1/2 cup of milk, and cook until thickened. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheddar, then fold in 4 cups of fresh broccoli and 3 1/2 cups of cooked, cooled rice. Spread it in a 9×9 dish, top with cheese and buttered cracker crumbs, and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Let it cool 5 to 10 minutes.
- Dump-and-bake: stir the soup with milk, Dijon-style mustard and cheddar in a 1 1/2-quart casserole, add the broccoli, and top with bread crumbs tossed in butter. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat portions in the oven or microwave to 165°F. FSIS lists mayonnaise and cream sauces among foods that don’t freeze well, so keep this one in the refrigerator rather than the freezer.
What to Serve With It
Serve it as a side at a holiday dinner or a potluck. For more broccoli and cheese, try broccoli rice cheese and chicken casserole, one pot cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole or chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake. For another creamy side, there’s baked cheesy mushrooms casserole, and for a soup night, crockpot potato broccoli cheddar soup. If you like the buttery cracker topping, Ritz cracker chicken casserole uses it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients in an old-fashioned broccoli casserole?
Broccoli, onion, a can of cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, eggs, butter and cheddar, with crushed buttery crackers on top. That is exactly this recipe.
Does broccoli need to be cooked before putting it in a casserole?
It needs a head start: a 3-minute steam in the microwave before mixing, or a covered first 15 minutes in the oven if you start from raw.
Can I use panko instead of Ritz crackers?
Yes. Toss 1 cup of panko with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle it over the cheese, as in the panko and Dijon variation.
Can I make broccoli casserole with rice?
Yes. The broccoli rice variation above makes a cheese sauce with the soup, broth and milk, folds in cooked rice and fresh broccoli, and bakes in a 9×9 dish.
Final Notes
Steam the broccoli, drain it well and bake until the center is hot. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Broccoli Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup
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Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10 3/4 ounces
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper coarse ground
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated, divided
- 1 cup Ritz crackers finely crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Put the dripping-wet broccoli florets and the onion in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes.
- Drain the water from the bowl. Add the melted butter, mushroom soup, mayonnaise, eggs, salt, pepper and 1 cup of the cheddar and mix well.
- Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and the crushed crackers.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and the center reaches 165°F.
