Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole
It’s that time of year when comfort food reigns supreme. Which, to my mind, is really any time of the year. And this super easy vegan chicken and rice casserole is the perfect recipe for those colder nights and days. It’s rice and veggies and gravy all cooked up together with tender meaty soy curls and little bits of chopped broccoli throughout. Just dump all the ingredients into a casserole dish, bake it, and watch the whole family enjoy it all season long.
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When I first discovered our vegan condensed cream of chicken soup recipe, I immediately knew I wanted to use it in a vegan chicken and rice casserole. I’m not certain why that was my first thought because I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten a chicken and rice casserole (vegan version or otherwise) in my entire life.
But the minute the idea of that vegan casserole entered my mind it would not leave. I just knew I had to create this easy broccoli casserole with rice and vegan chik’n.
This certainty was cemented when I shared my idea with T. He basically jumped for joy before I finished my sentence. I should have known. A big dish of rice and vegetables cooked in a thick, luscious, flavorful gravy is basically all of his favorite foods combined.
And thus, this easy recipe for vegan chicken and cheesy broccoli rice casserole was born! It took a few tries to get it exactly how we envisioned it. But, the time and taste tests were all worth it. I am so very excited to share the finalized great recipe with you today! There’s going to be a lot of happy faces around your dinner table.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Chicken and Rice Casserole
- It is so very easy to make. Even if you don’t already have your vegan condensed cream of chicken soup made, this meal takes very little effort to put together. If you can dump a bunch of ingredients in a casserole dish and use an oven, you’re good to go.
- It’s really easy to customize based on what’s in your pantry / fridge. Swap out the frozen broccoli for whatever veg you have on hand – frozen mixed veg or small-cut green beans are good. Or sub the soy curls for whatever vegan chik’n you dig. Experiment with the grains you use, and have fun with it!
- This recipe can be a great framework for those chilly, snowy days ahead when you’re digging into the back of your pantry for something to throw together for a cozy dinner.
- It makes a wonderful freezer meal. Make a double batch and freeze one for later, or freeze it in single servings for a great make-ahead lunch.
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What is vegan broccoli rice casserole made of?
You’ll need just 9 ingredients to make this vegan creamy rice casserole:
- Soy curls – Measured dry and rehydrated. Soy curls are our favorite vegan chicken replacement for casserole recipes like this!
- Vegan Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup – We used our homemade vegan condensed cream of chicken! For best results, make this at least a few hours before you make the casserole (ideally, 1 day before), so it has time to thicken properly. If you can’t wait for the vegan condensed chicken soup to thicken, you can use the soup out of the blender (2 cups of it, not the whole thing) and reduce the water in this recipe by about 3/4 cup.
- Warm water
- Instant brown rice – Make sure you use “instant” brown rice! Boil-in-bag rice also works.
- Frozen chopped broccoli
- Seasoning: Vegan cheese seasoning, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper
Ingredient Questions
Here are some of the common questions we hear about this recipe and its ingredients. If you have a question not answered here, make sure you leave it in the comments, so we can add it!
What are soy curls made of? Soy curls are a dehydrated, minimally processed soy product that takes on and mimics the texture and (when marinated) flavor of chicken for use in a tremendously wide variety of dishes. (I’ve also tried it in a couple “beef” dishes.) A good source of both fiber and protein, they’re a 100% natural food that is vegan and gluten free. A great source of plant-based protein, they’re our not-so-secret secret ingredient for almost all our vegan chicken dishes. Find our soy curl guide here.
Is brown rice vegan? Brown rice is indeed vegan. Brown rice is brown because it’s considered a whole grain. Whereas, white rice has had the germ and bran layers (the healthiest layers!) removed from the grains. Because of this, white rice is considered a refined food product.
Do you put Ritz crackers on top of broccoli casserole? I don’t know if this is a traditional thing I’ve never heard of or a regional thing I’ve never heard of. All I know is that now that I have heard of it, I’ve GOT to try this out the next time we make a casserole! It sounds delicious! Use about 1 tsp of garlic powder mixed with melted vegan butter to lightly coat crushed up Ritz crackers and add them evenly to the top of the casserole. I think you could do this instead of or along with the last layer of vegan cheese seasoning in this recipe and baking for another 2-3 minutes or so until they’re toasty again.
Do you cook broccoli before putting it in the casserole? We don’t cook the broccoli for this recipe, but we like to use chopped frozen broccoli. Because of its smaller size, it cooks up perfectly. If you are using larger broccoli florets or fresh broccoli pieces, you may want to parcook them a little bit.
Substitution Options for Veggie Chicken Casserole
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember: substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a difference in the final product that is not always a positive one. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!
For the soy curls: For similar results, substitute your favorite vegan chik’n for the soy curls – no need to rehydrate if not dehydrated. If using frozen vegan chicken, you might want to let it defrost before using. I wouldn’t suggest using breaded chicken for this because it could get soggy. Results will vary depending on the brand you use. White beans or chickpeas could also work, or just skip the vegan chicken and make a broccoli rice casserole!
For the condensed soup: For a different vibe, you can sub our vegan cream of mushroom soup or any of our vegan condensed soups in this recipe!
For the instant brown rice: You can play around with the grains you use, but keep in mind different grains may need more or less water than the instant brown rice we used for this recipe. Other instant rice like basmati and jasmine or white rice could work easily. I would not use any type of grain that takes more than 10-20 minutes to cook. Long-grain brown rice or wild rice would not be a good idea.
For the frozen broccoli: Feel free to substitute any veggies you have for the frozen broccoli – frozen or fresh.
For the vegan cheese seasoning: Sub nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan or just skip it
How to Make Vegetarian Chicken Rice Casserole
This dump-and-bake vegan broccoli casserole recipe is so easy to make – perfect for busy work nights or meal prep!
Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 375F and grab a large casserole dish. We use a 3-quart casserole dish (most commonly a 9×13 inch dish).
If you’re using soy curls, rehydrate them now. What I like to do is add the dry soy curls to a large bowl and pour 1 cup hot water over them. Next, I mix in 2 Tbsp veggie bouillon powder and cover / let sit for about 5 minutes. Then, just drain them and continue with the recipe!
Step 2: Assemble the casserole.
Add all the ingredients (excluding the soy curls and 1 Tbsp of the Vegan Cheese Seasoning) to the casserole dish and whisk until there are no clumps and everything is evenly mixed together.
When the soy curls are plump and meaty, spread them out evenly atop the casserole mixture.
Step 3: Bake the dish.
Cover the casserole dish and place in the preheated oven. Let it cook – covered – for 50 minutes.
Carefully remove the casserole dish from the oven and let it sit at least 10 minutes to cool and set a little before you remove the cover, sprinkle the remaining Tbsp of Vegan Cheese Seasoning and dig in!
What to Serve with Vegan Chicken Casserole
We love to serve this dairy free casserole with:
- A nice big vegan Caesar salad
- Light side salad with Italian Dressing
- A big crusty roll with vegan butter to soak up all that flavor
- A bowl of vegetable soup
“Make It Pretty” Tip: If you’re making this casserole for a holiday or any other time where you might care about it looking extra aesthetically pleasing, you can finely chop some extra broccoli, flash steam it to a bright green, and “sprinkle” it over the finished casserole (like we did in these photos!).
Roasted broccoli would also be really good for this. Maybe toast some larger, seasoned bread crumbs on top. Voila, now it looks every bit as exciting as it tastes!
How to Store Leftover Vegan Broccoli Casserole
Store leftover vegan rice casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It makes a fantastic meal prep option!
Notes on reheating: When you reheat it, just be sure to add a splash of hot water, and it will be just as good as the first time you pulled it out of the oven.
Does broccoli rice casserole freeze well?
Broccoli rice casserole is the perfect freezer meal! Make a double batch and freeze one for a future dinner, or freeze it in single servings for a great make-ahead lunch. It should stay fresh for at least 6 weeks!
You can also bake this casserole right in your 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes! Just mix everything in a bowl, and transfer to the cubes to bake.
You may need to adjust the time. But once done, just let the casserole servings cool completely and then freeze completely. You can then pop them out and have the perfect casserole serving any time!
More Vegan Casseroles:
- Vegan Pot Pie Casserole
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Vegan Chicken(less) Tetrazzini
- Spicy Vegan Tater Tot Hotdish
- Cheesy Vegan Hashbrown Casserole
We hope you love this vegan chicken and rice casserole and find it as cozy and comforting as we have. Not to mention, useful!
Testing this recipe was such a joy. We’ve eaten it at least 8 times in the past 2 weeks and still can’t get enough.
When you make this vegan chicken and rice casserole, we would love to hear what you think!
You can rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your screen-lick-inducing photos on Instagram. If you’re not following along already, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
‘Til next time, friends. Happy cooking!
Vegetarian Rice Casserole with Broccoli and Soy Curls
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup soy curls measured dry
- 2 8-oz jars vegan condensed cream of chicken soup (2 cups)
- 3 cups warm water
- 1.5 cups instant brown rice
- 4 cups frozen chopped broccoli
- 3 Tbsp vegan cheese seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 375F and grab an 11×8 casserole dish.
- Rehydrate the soy curls: What I like to do is add the dry soy curls to a large bowl and pour 1 cup hot water over them. Then, I mix in 2 Tbsp veggie bouillon powder and cover / let sit for about 5 minutes. Then, just drain them and continue with the recipe!
- Assemble the casserole: Add all the ingredients (excluding the soy curls and 1 Tbsp of the Cheesy Garlic Butter Blend) to the casserole dish and whisk until there are no clumps and everything is evenly mixed together. When the soy curls are plump and meaty, spread them out evenly atop the casserole mixture.
- Bake the broccoli casserole: Cover the casserole dish and place in the preheated oven. Let it cook – covered – for 50 minutes.
- Finish and serve: Carefully remove the casserole dish from the oven and let it sit at least 10 minutes before you remove the cover, sprinkle the remaining Tbsp of Cheesy Garlic Butter Blend and dig in! We love to serve this casserole with a nice big vegan Caesar salad. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Feel free to substitute any veggies you have for the frozen broccoli.
- Sub your favorite vegan chik'n for the soy curls if desired. White beans or chickpeas could also work, or just skip it all together!
- You can play around with the grains you use, but keep in mind different grains may need more or less water than the instant brown rice we used for this recipe.
Nutrition
Watch our Creamy Vegan Rice Bake web story here!
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