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 family-pleasing side dish.
Our New Favorite 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.
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 Cheesy Cabbage Casserole, Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole and Cheesy Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole.
We think any of these casseroles would be great paired with these Old-Fashioned Farmhouse Iowa Ham Balls (meatballs) from Farmwife Feeds.
How to Make Fresh Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers
- Steam fresh broccoli; drain.
- Return broccoli to the warm pan; add butter and Velveeta and cover pan.
- After 5 minutes, stir the broccoli until the cheese is melted.
- Pour broccoli mixture into a prepared pan; top with crushed butter crackers.
- Melt remaining butter and pour over crackers.
- Bake until golden brown.
For full Cheesy Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Cracker recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post.
NOTES ABOUT FRESH BROCCOLI CASSEROLE WITH 4 INGREDIENTS:
- 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.
- 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.
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 family-pleasing side dish.
- 4-6 cups fresh broccoli
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 pound velveeta or cheese melt
- 1 sleeve butter crackers (Ritz)
Steam broccoli until just barely fork tender (do not over cook); drain.
Return drained broccoli to the warm pan; add 2 Tablespoons butter and Velveeta. Cover with the lid but do not turn heat back on. The warmth of the pan will soften the cheese and butter. After 5 minutes, remove lid and stir until melted and blended.
Pour into a greased 2 quart or 9x9 inch baking dish.
Cover with crushed butter crackers.
Melt remaining 6 Tablespoons of butter. Pour over buttered crackers on casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- 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 1/4 pound American cheese. Most blocks of Velveeta or cheese melt are 2 pounds. To measure out 1/4 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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Is it 1/4 or 1/2 lb of Cheese – the recipe is contradictory.
Oh my, that’s an oops on our part, Margaret! It’s 1/2 pound of cheese. Thanks for asking and we’ve corrected the copy in the post to reflect this.
Thanks for the clarification. I will be making this later in the week when my family arrive from the U.S.
Can you prepare this ahead of time?
We haven’t attempted to prepare ahead of time and bake later. If you do try it, you might want to wait to add the crackers and butter until right before baking it so they don’t soften.