Trying to find a better broccoli casserole.

maryadavies4667

If you saw my status, you'd know I got a tad annoyed at Alton Brown's broccoli casserole. We've been making it for a while when the broccoli we get from the church food bank is getting a bit old. (Just so you know, by the time I get to this, it's a bit limp and prolly no good for salad, but I don't want to waste. So it has to be cooked.)

Trouble is it is very caloric and he does not list the exact serving size. I didn't realize it until I made it recently to get rid of some old broccoli. (I usually add ground beef and onions to it too instead of the mushrooms; Mushrooms around here are a treat). Any ideas, folks for a recipe to use that that wouldn't have those problems? Maybe a bit different would get my second brother to actually try it too..(he does not like cooked broccoli)

Just so you know, I try to keep to stuff we have so I don't have to ask for extra stuff. We usually have bread crumbs, cream of chicken and mushroom soup, the usual condiments, ramen noodles, cornstarch, staples..you get the idea..around. Extra stuff costs money ^^.

amgreenwell

I have no idea how caloric this is but you could probably look up each ingredient and substitute as you see fit, use low calorie or low sodium stuff if that's an issue. Kids gobble this up:

cooked brown rice, cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, peas or squash, can of cream of mushroom, can of cream of chicken, dab of sour cream, salt pepper. Mix in shredded cheese if you wish
Mix all together and put in a greased or sprayed (lower calorie option) casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.
Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Lounmoun

https://www.budgetbytes.com/broccoli-cheddar-casserole/
This is one my family likes. I think we usually have 6 servings as the recipe states.
If your broccoli is cut small then I don't think you need to worry about fresh vs frozen broccoli.
You could reduce calories by using lower fat cheese or milk.

For cooked broccoli I like roasted broccoli. Put it on a pan with a little no stick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper... maybe garlic or red pepper flakes. Cook in 400°F oven for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese after cooking maybe.

maryadavies4667

Thanks Lounmoun! I'll try both ideas when we got old broccoli again. We have to use what we have (and we do get cheddar cheese); the problem with Alton Brown's is it has both mayo and ranch dressing in it, as well as cheese. I think that + ramen noodles is what really packs on the calories.

And amgreenwell; the siblings I live with are all adults, but my second brother who lives here has turned into quite the picky eater He's worse than me before I decided to get moving and take charge when I could, but I can't make him change unless he wants to. (I catch him eating fast food more times than I consider healthy. At times he's been munching on it more than 3 times a week, often enough that I sigh when I see him throw a fast food joint's bag in the trash. I'm trying to reform and when me and Jon go out and want to go out to eat along the way, I've been trying to encourage him to stay away from Sonic and take me to Subway instead; less calories.) But since I do quite a bit of the cooking, I can make sure I make stuff that is a bit better, tho I have limited stuff to work with.