Fresh Broccoli Casserole with 4 Ingredients – A Simple Broccoli Casserole Without Soup

Are you looking for the best ever broccoli casserole recipe?  This fresh broccoli casserole with 4 ingredients is cheesy, buttery, crunchy and perfect.  Fresh broccoli, butter, Ritz crackers and American cheese combine for a simple broccoli casserole without soup.

Simple Broccoli Casserole

While flipping through one of my favorite vintage cookbooks, Savory Samplings, I stumbled upon this easy broccoli casserole with 4 ingredients – broccoli, butter, American cheese (Velveeta), and butter crackers (Ritz). This is my type of recipe.  I almost always have all these ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry.

Since I had all 4 ingredients for the cheesy broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers, I whipped it up for Father’s Day.  My niece went bananas for it.  After her third helping, it was apparent that this broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers recipe is a winner.

I love how this broccoli casserole recipe uses fresh broccoli instead of frozen.  Not that I have anything against frozen broccoli, because I use it all the time.  But fresh broccoli is the way to go in this casserole.

Broccoli Casserole Without Soup

Many broccoli casserole recipes include some type of cream soup in the ingredient list, but this one is a fresh broccoli casserole without soup.

This version of broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers is old-fashioned, which is right up our alley.

Some of our other favorite vintage casserole recipes include Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole , Sour Cream Zucchini Casserole, Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole and Potato Casserole with Rice Krispies.

We think any of these casseroles would be great paired with these Crock Pot Pork Roast and Gravy or Old-Fashioned Farmhouse Iowa Ham Balls (meatballs) from Farmwife Feeds.

Simple Broccoli Casserole Ingredient List

Fresh Broccoli

Ritz Crackers, crushed

Velveeta (Cheese Melt)

Butter, melted

How to Make Fresh Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers

1. Steam fresh broccoli; drain.
2. Return broccoli to the warm pan; add butter and Velveeta and cover pan.
3. After 5 minutes, stir the broccoli until the cheese is melted.
4. Pour broccoli  mixture into a prepared pan; top with crushed butter crackers.
5. Melt remaining butter and pour over crackers.
6. Bake until golden brown.

For full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for Cheesy Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Cracker recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post.

How to cut fresh broccoli for a casserole?

Follow these easy steps to cut up a head of broccoli for your favorite broccoli casserole.

1. Remove any leaves from the stems of the broccoli.
2. Wash broccoli with cold water, and shake dry.  Pat with a paper towel to completely dry, if needed.
3. Take a sharp knife, trim off a small slice at the end of the stalk and discard.
4. Separate the florets from the stem.
5. Cut each floret into bite-sized pieces.
6. Peel the tough outer edge of the broccoli stems, and discard.
7. Cut the peeled stems into bite-sized pieces.

NOTES ABOUT FRESH BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH 4 INGREDIENTS:

• You can use a 9 x 9 inch or 8 x 8 inch baking dish or a 2 quart baking dish for this fresh broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers recipe.
• This recipe for cheesy broccoli casserole involves a 2 step cooking process; first you steam the broccoli, and later on you bake in the oven. For that reason, I recommend steaming the broccoli until barely tender in the first step. This will prevent your broccoli from becoming too mushy later on.
• Fresh broccoli casserole recipe obviously calls for fresh broccoli, but if you could go ahead and sub in frozen broccoli.  Cook according to package instructions, and drain well.
• Cheesy broccoli casserole calls for American cheese in the original recipe. I always use Velveeta or generic cheese melt when a recipe calls for American cheese.
• This recipe calls for 1/2 pound American cheese.  Most blocks of Velveeta or cheese melt are 2 pounds.  To measure out 1/2 pound, do as follows:
  • With a knife, cut the block into half. Each half would be 1 pound.
  • Take one half, and cut in half again.  Each piece is 1/2 pound. This is what the recipe calls for.

 

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