Cheesy Broccoli and Mushroom Rice Casserole

Forgive me for my absence lately. It's been a busy past week and a half for me. I worked quite a bit at the flower shop, which isn't normal for me, plus Sage was out of town for 5 days, also not typical. I got a feel of what it would be like to be a single, working mom...who just happens to be pregnant. I give major props to any pregnant, working, single mothers out in the world. (Especially if they have extremely energetic, precocious 2 1/2 year old boys.)

But even in hectic times, you have to eat, so I still spent plenty of time in my kitchen in the past week and a half. There were several recipes I was very excited to make and took the time to write all my steps down and take pictures...and none of them wowed me at all. The funny thing, this one I'm sharing was something I threw together on a whim after coming home very tired from work one night. It's pretty much a simple casserole, nothing fancy, but it wound up being my favorite thing that I made all week, and definitely something my family wants me to make again.

If you have cooked rice on hand already, this would be ideal for a weeknight. I didn't, but by starting the rice first and then prepping the vegetables, the rice was finished right around the time the rest of the recipe was. I think this screams to be served as a side dish with chicken, but we just had ours along with a huge salad and were completely satisfied. However, I think you could mix in some leftover cooked chicken or even white beans to make it more of a complete one dish meal.

Cheesy Broccoli and Mushroom Rice

I personally prefer my vegetables slightly more on the tender side. The broccoli was just a little crisp for my tastes, but when I suggested that next time I would saute the broccoli a little longer, my husband looked at me as if I had two heads and told me I was crazy. So I'm going to write it as I made it and leave that up to you.

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 tbsp olive oil

3 broccoli crowns, cut into small florets (about 5 cups)

1 celery rib, finely chopped/minced

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup vegetable stock

1 cup 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine rice with 1 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is just slightly undercooked.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add broccoli and celery and season with a few pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. (If you prefer your broccoli a little more tender, here is where I would add a few extra minutes of sauteing.) Next add mushrooms, green onions and garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add stock, bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, until sauce thickens.

Add cooked rice and half of the cheese and stir well to combine. Turn into a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in oven preheated to 350 for 15 minutes.