This Healthier Broccoli Cheddar Casserole is a balanced, easy, comfort meal perfect for meal prep, and it’s gluten free! This comes together in minutes using minimal ingredients and only one dish so there’s less clean-up too – great for a quick weeknight dinner.
When it comes to comfort foods, casseroles are the best and one of everyones favorite. I’ve been making this healthier version of a classic broccoli cheddar casserole for so long, recently have made a few updates, and needed to share! If you’re like me, comfort food means cozy, warm, creamy, and satisfying… well that’s exactly what this recipe is 👏
This tastes like the perfect comfort food but it’s also healthier, super easy to make, and is a nice well-rounded meal. Instead of adding cream of mushroom soup like most casseroles, we’re adding Greek yogurt! This adds a rich creaminess to the dish while also boosting protein. If you’re dairy free, you can easily enjoy this with a thick dairy free Greek style yogurt and vegan cheese. If you don’t want rice, swap it for cauliflower rice! Anyone can enjoy this with a few simple changes.
Why You’ll Love This Meal
- Healthier alternative – There’s a great balance of protein, fat, fiber, and carbs in this meal. You have high-fiber carbs from the rice, healthy fats from the cheese, fiber from the broccoli, and protein from the Greek yogurt and chicken.
- Perfect for meal prep – Bake once and you have dinner and leftovers for a few days!
- Easy – Everything is mixed and baked in one casserole dish, couldn’t get any easier!
- Dietary friendly – This is naturally gluten free. To make dairy free, swap cheese, milk, and yogurt for dairy free versions. To make keto or paleo, swap the rice for cauliflower rice.
What You’ll Need
- Rotisserie chicken – I prefer to get mine Organic from Whole Foods because they don’t use seed oils or have additives like most other groceries.
- Chicken broth – or bone broth.
- Long grain rice
- Broccoli florets
- Greek yogurt – can swap for a thick dairy free yogurt like this one.
- Milk – or a dairy free milk of choice!
- Shredded cheddar cheese – can swap for a vegan cheese like this one.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a casserole dish (I use this 9×13 ceramic dish!)
- Add all of your ingredients, leaving out some cheddar cheese for topping later. Mix well until everything is combined.
- Top with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Take the foil off and top with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Slice and enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Casserole dish – This 9×13 is the best!
- Stainless steel measuring cups & spoons – Easier to clean and last longer than plastic ones.
- Silicone spatula – this non-slip makes it really easy to both cut and serve slices of this casserole.
More Meal Prep Favorites
Homemade Sweetgreen Spicey Cashew Dressing (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Sweet Potato Fries (Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Gluten Free, Paleo)
Healthier Broccoli Cheddar Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cup long grain rice
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1.5 cups Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a baking dish.
- Add all of your ingredients, leave out some cheddar cheese to use on top. Mix well until combined.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45min. Remove the foil, add the rest of the cheddar cheese and place bake in the oven for another 5-10min or until cheese has just melted.
- Slice and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Is the rice cooked before adding with the rest of the ingredients?
Hi Jeanette! The rice is added uncooked, it cooks with the rest of the ingredients 😊