Broccoli reaches its highest form in this Broccoli Cheese Casserole with Ritz Crackers. A holiday classic, this recipe boasts roasted broccoli in a homemade cheese sauce, topped with an irresponsible value of crisp, velvety Ritz crackers.

Add it to your Thanksgiving menu or Easter dinner, and watch it disappear!

Ritz Cracker Broccoli Casserole: Vegetable Repletion Food

A few months into my son’s first year of Kindergarten, he came home raving well-nigh broccoli. Broccoli! Apparently, he had some in a school lunch and loved it.

I, of course, was thrilled. My son likes broccoli! Hooray!

I asked him how the broccoli was prepared, hoping I could replicate it at home. His Kindergarten-level descriptors weren’t particularly helpful, so I just set well-nigh making broccoli in every form I could think of.

I steamed it. I made the best roasted broccoli and cauliflower of your life. I made a cheesy broccoli Ritz casserole. I plane made broccoli cheddar soup.

None of them were THE BROCCOLI.

After prodding him a bit increasingly for a unravelment of the elusive AMAZING broccoli, we finally croaky the code.

Dear friends, it was raw broccoli. My son had fallen throne over heels with plain ol’ crunchy raw broccoli.

Welp, there are certainly worse things to love. And while this broccoli venture didn’t lead to me discovering my son’s new favorite veggie side dish, it did lead me to this incredible Ritz Cracker Broccoli Cheese Casserole. So, I’m calling it a definite win.

I love broccoli in all its forms, but there’s something special well-nigh broccoli smothered in cheese and velvety Ritz crackers. I think you’ll agree!

Here’s Why You’ll Love Broccoli Ritz Casserole Too

  • It’s roasted! Most broccoli cheese casseroles are made with steamed broccoli. I do enjoy them that way, but I found I prefer to roast the broccoli first. It has a deeper savor that stands up well to the homemade cheese sauce.
  • No soup, no velveeta– A lot of broccoli casseroles undeniability for canned surf of mushroom soup and/or Velveeta. There’s nothing wrong with these recipes, but the homemade cheese sauce makes it so much better!
  • The velvety Ritz topping– Listen, Ritz crackers will forever and unchangingly be my repletion food. They’re the perfect wiring for a quick appetizer, my go-to topping for chili, and make the weightier sweet and salty chocolate dipped Ritz cookies. Here, they wrap broccoli cheese casserole with their irresistible crisp, velvety crunch, and be unpreventable the ratio of crackers to broccoli in this recipe is PERFECT (and by perfect, I mean, there’s a lot of crispy crackers!)
  • Make superiority friendly and unconfined for gatherings– This casserole can be made in whop and it’s perfect for holidays and family gatherings.

What’s In Broccoli Cheese Casserole?

Ingredients for broccoli ritz casserole in prep bowls on a wood background.

Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make the casserole!

  • Broccoli– You’ll need 1 pound of broccoli florets, which is well-nigh 3-4 heads. You can buy the broccoli once cut into florets to save some time.
  • Butter and Flour– These are the wiring ingredients for the roux, which is how we’ll make our thick and linty cheese sauce.
  • Milk– Whole milk is platonic here, but 2% will moreover work fine.
  • Salt and seasonings– A little garlic powder, pepper, and a hint of cayenne make the cheese sauce sing.
  • Cheddar cheese– I use a medium cheddar, but you could experiment with colby jack or Monterey Jack cheese as well. Whatever cheese you pick, I unchangingly recommend shredding it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that makes it increasingly difficult to melt.
  • Ritz crackers Butter– Finish the casserole with crumbled Ritz crackers drenched in salted butter.

How to Make Ritz Cracker Broccoli Casserole

  1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch sultry dish.
  2. Season the broccoli. Spread the broccoli over a half sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over all of the florets, tossing well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste a floret to make sure it is well seasoned, and add spare salt if needed.
  3. Roast the broccoli. Place the broccoli in the oven and roast for 14-16 minutes, or until the florets are browned on the edges and softened. Remove from the oven, then lower the heat to 375 degrees.
  4. Make the cheese sauce. While the broccoli roasts, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt the 3 Tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk together until smooth. Melt until bubbly, well-nigh 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the milk, whisking constantly to combine. The mixture may be a little lumpy at first, but just alimony whisking. As the mixture cooks it will wilt smooth and thick. Turn the heat to low, then stir in the garlic powder, and cayenne. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. Stir in the cheese until melted. Remove from heat.
  5. Make the Ritz cracker topping. Add the Ritz crackers to a ziplock bag or tray and use a rolling pin to unravel them up into smaller pieces. Pour the ¼ cup melted butter over top and stir well to combine.
  6. Prepare the casserole. Spread the roasted broccoli over the marrow of the sultry dish. Pour the cheese sauce over top, stirring so the florets are well coated. Top with the cracker crumbs.
  7. Bake. Torch the casserole for 16-20 minutes, or until crackers are browned and cheese sauce is bubbly. Allow to tomfool for 15 minutes surpassing serving.