{"slug":"cheesy-broccoli-rice-casserole-with-tofu","collection":"recipes","is_recipe":true,"visibility":"public","title":"Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Tofu","description":"A weeknight comfort casserole: steamed broccoli and cooked white rice folded into a spiced extra-sharp cheddar béchamel with tamari-glazed tofu, baked under a cheddar–panko crust until bubbling and crisp.","body_md":"1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Steam the broccoli until just fork-tender, give it a rough chop, and set aside until ready to use. Frozen broccoli also works. Prepare the rice now if it isn't already cooked — frozen cooked rice is great for a recipe like this.\n\n2. **Prepare the tofu:** Dice the tofu into small, bite-sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the tamari, bouillon concentrate, and water together until well combined. Heat a large skillet over medium and add the olive oil, diced tofu, and tamari mixture. Toss until the tofu is coated with the oil and sauce, then cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside until ready to use.\n\n3. **Make the cheese sauce:** Heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium — big enough to hold the whole casserole later — and add the butter. Once melted, add the flour, granulated garlic, onion powder, mustard powder, and nutmeg, and stir until a slightly thick paste forms. Cook about 1 minute, stirring almost constantly, until it darkens slightly. Add 240ml (1 cup) of the milk and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3–4 minutes. Add the remaining 120ml (½ cup) milk, stir, and cook another 2–3 minutes until thickened again.\n\n4. Add the 340g (3 cups) shredded cheddar, stir well, and cook on low until the cheese has melted into a thick, glossy sauce. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat, then fold in the cooked rice, broccoli, and tofu, stirring until everything is coated in the cheese sauce.\n\n5. Transfer the mixture to a 23×33cm (9×13-inch) casserole dish and top with the remaining 113g (1 cup) shredded cheddar. For extra crunch, mix the panko with the melted butter in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the cheese.\n\n6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are crisp — broil for the last few minutes if needed. Let cool a few minutes before serving.\n\n## Notes\n\n- **Provenance: unattributed.** This arrived as a printed handout with no byline, so the original author is unknown — unrecoverable rather than unrecorded. Not an original recipe. The wording here is a rewrite; the source's own phrasing (US volume measures, first-person asides) has not been carried over.\n- **Servings (6) is an estimate** — the source states no yield. Figured from a full 23×33cm (9×13-inch) dish. Scale from it with care.\n- **The dish size is likewise an addition**; the source says only \"a casserole dish\". 23×33cm is what this volume of rice, broccoli, and tofu wants.\n- Amounts are metric-first; the original was written in US volume measures. Cheddar is converted at 113g per shredded cup (453g / 4 cups total), rice at ~158g per cooked cup.\n- Broccoli is given by purchase weight because \"3–4 cups\" of it is ambiguous — loose florets and packed chopped broccoli differ by nearly 2×. One large head, trimmed to florets, lands in the right place. It's a forgiving ingredient; more is fine.\n- Cook time covers the stovetop work plus the bake. It does **not** include cooking the rice — start with rice already cooked (or frozen) as written.\n- Use a genuinely aged extra-sharp cheddar — the sauce is otherwise carried entirely by the granulated garlic, onion, mustard, and nutmeg.\n- Shred the cheese yourself if you can; pre-shredded is coated with anti-caking starch that makes the sauce grainy.\n- The roux runs fat-heavy (42g butter to 24g flour — the original's 3 tbsp / 3 tbsp by volume). That's intentional and works; the cheese does most of the thickening.\n","draft":false,"servings":"6","cook_time":"1 hour 5 minutes","source_name":"Unattributed","created_at":"2026-07-29T23:32:55.624656Z","updated_at":"2026-07-30T00:41:29.202908Z","categories":["Main"],"tags":["Broccoli","Casserole","Cheese","Comfort Food","Rice","Tofu","Vegetarian","Weeknight"],"methods":["Baked","Stove-Top"],"themes":["Comfort Food","Vegetarian"],"ingredients":[{"section":"","items":["450g (about 1 large head) broccoli, cut into florets and lightly steamed — 3–4 cups","630g (4 cups) cooked white rice"],"parsed":[{"raw":"450g (about 1 large head) broccoli, cut into florets and lightly steamed — 3–4 cups","qty":450,"unit":"g","item":"broccoli","prep":"cut into florets and lightly steamed — 3–4 cups"},{"raw":"630g (4 cups) cooked white rice","qty":630,"unit":"g","item":"cooked white rice"}]},{"section":"Cheese Sauce","items":["42g (3 tbsp) butter","24g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour","1½ tsp granulated garlic","1 tsp onion powder","½ tsp mustard powder","¼ tsp ground nutmeg","360ml (1½ cups) milk, whatever kind you prefer","340g (3 cups) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese","Salt and black pepper, to taste"],"parsed":[{"raw":"42g (3 tbsp) butter","qty":42,"unit":"g","item":"butter"},{"raw":"24g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour","qty":24,"unit":"g","item":"all-purpose flour"},{"raw":"1½ tsp granulated garlic","qty":1.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"granulated garlic"},{"raw":"1 tsp onion powder","qty":1,"unit":"tsp","item":"onion powder"},{"raw":"½ tsp mustard powder","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"mustard powder"},{"raw":"¼ tsp ground nutmeg","qty":0.25,"unit":"tsp","item":"ground nutmeg"},{"raw":"360ml (1½ cups) milk, whatever kind you prefer","qty":360,"unit":"ml","item":"milk, whatever kind you prefer"},{"raw":"340g (3 cups) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese","qty":340,"unit":"g","item":"shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese"},{"raw":"Salt and black pepper, to taste","item":"Salt and black pepper, to taste"}]},{"section":"Cheesy Breadcrumb Topping","items":["113g (1 cup) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese","30g (½ cup) panko breadcrumbs","14g (1 tbsp) butter, melted"],"parsed":[{"raw":"113g (1 cup) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese","qty":113,"unit":"g","item":"shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese"},{"raw":"30g (½ cup) panko breadcrumbs","qty":30,"unit":"g","item":"panko breadcrumbs"},{"raw":"14g (1 tbsp) butter, melted","qty":14,"unit":"g","item":"butter","prep":"melted"}]},{"section":"Tofu","items":["15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil","450g (16 oz) super-firm tofu, patted dry and pressed if needed","15ml (1 tbsp) tamari","15ml (1 tbsp) water","1 tsp not-chicken bouillon concentrate (e.g. Better Than Bouillon)"],"parsed":[{"raw":"15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil","qty":15,"unit":"ml","item":"olive oil"},{"raw":"450g (16 oz) super-firm tofu, patted dry and pressed if needed","qty":450,"unit":"g","item":"super-firm tofu","prep":"patted dry and pressed if needed"},{"raw":"15ml (1 tbsp) tamari","qty":15,"unit":"ml","item":"tamari"},{"raw":"15ml (1 tbsp) water","qty":15,"unit":"ml","item":"water"},{"raw":"1 tsp not-chicken bouillon concentrate (e.g. Better Than Bouillon)","qty":1,"unit":"tsp","item":"not-chicken bouillon concentrate"}]}],"servings_int":6,"qc":{"status":"passed","last_checked_at":"2026-07-30T01:57:16.321449Z","checked_by":"robert@sigler.io","standard_version":"2026-07-29","findings_count":0,"stale":false}}