“Chicken” Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole is ultra cheesy, creamy and comforting. Ready in about 30 minutes and made in 1 pan!
Casseroles are the perfect weeknight meal and this cheesy broccoli rice casserole with vegan “chicken” is my absolute favorite. It’s kid-approved, flavorful, creamy and full of broccoli! No one would guess it’s vegan.
I love the combination of broccoli and cheese, as you can see from this Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup or Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Twice Baked Potatoes.
This meal is so easy and quick to make. It only takes about 30 minutes to prepare, and is made with simple ingredients. I have used my Vegan Chicken, but you can substitute chickpeas or use store-bought vegan chikn (Tofurky brand is good).
Want more Vegan Casseroles?
- Vegan Enchilada Casserole
- Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- Vegan Lasagna
- Biscuit Topped Chickpea Pot Pie
Chicken Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole
"Chicken" Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole is ultra cheesy, creamy and comforting. Ready in about 30 minutes and made in 1 pan!
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced small
- 8 ounces vegan chicken, chopped small homemade OR tofurky, see Notes for more options
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups white rice, long grain preferred
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy cheddar style vegan cheese, optional
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot (I used my 12-inch cast iron skillet), sauté the onion and chopped vegan chicken pieces in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Now add the rice, 3 cups of vegetable broth and coconut milk. Stir, and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Add the broccoli florets once the rice is tender, and an additional 1/2-1 cup more of vegetable broth if the mixture is getting dry. Stir in the vegan cheese as well at this time, if using. Stir, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes until the broccoli softens a bit.
- Season with salt, to taste. Enjoy immediately, or sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and place under the broiler for a few minutes.
Notes
- You can use my homemade seitan Vegan Chicken (you will only need about 1/2 the recipe), or a package of Tofurky brand chikn, OR sub with a can of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed.
- To sub brown rice for white: It will take a lot longer to cook the rice, about 40 minutes. Add more vegetable broth or water as needed, you will probably need 4-5 cups of broth.
- I used daiya cheddar for this, but you can leave it out or use my shreddable vegan mozzzarella instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 628IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Yum!!! What I like about this casserole is that it’s ONE pot, quick, easy and totally delish. I put the cheese in it and bread crumbs on top. It was even BETTER the next day.
Thanks Nora!
Is there a way to make this ahead?
You could make it ahead of time, perhaps 2 days before, then keep in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, warm it up in the oven (or microwave I guess).
I haven’t made this yet but am thinking of including it in my holiday menu. The holiday will include my parents too though, and my stepdad doesn’t like his meals to be sweet. This was his reason for not liking curry, which is coconut milk based, but I don’t want to use plant milk if it will make it too soupy, so I had the thought of using silken tofu? I won’t add the meat substitutes either, unless I use chickpeas, because this will be a side dish. Just wondering what your thoughts or suggestions would be on this idea?
The coconut milk makes this dish rich and creamy, not sweet. Still, you can definitely try it with blended silken tofu or unsweetened non-dairy milk. It might not be as creamy, but it shouldn’t be soupy.
Made this with Soy Curls as the “Chicken” and it came out SO GOOD. Thank you!
You are welcome, David! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
David did you just cook them like normal then add to the mix?
This is so delicious! Creamy, hearty and SO flavourful. I used black beans and it tasted amazing as well. I also added nutritional yeast for added flavour and nutrition.
Hi Serra. Your casserole sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your baking experience for this recipe, and your fabulous review!
The recipe itself was tasty, but I don’t know how big your cast iron is, because mine was nowhere big enough. I ended up having to transfer to a pot and made a huge mess.
Hi Kris. I noted in the recipe instructions that I made the casserole in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, and that a large pot could be used instead. Still, I’m glad you liked the flavor!
I had this same problem! I took out my 12in cast iron pan and it wasn’t big enough either. Ended up transferring to my dutch oven. Still a good recipe
I’m glad it all worked out and you loved the casserole! Thank you for sharing, Chloe!
Delicious, and my dairy/egg free toddler loved it! We subbed real chicken (rotisserie), and it worked perfectly. Is this a recipe that would be safe to freeze in small portions and reheat?
Yes, it freezes well. Glad you enjoyed it!
How soupy should this be?
It should not be soupy but it shouldn’t be dry either. Sometimes I have to add more broth if my heat was a bit too high. If it’s really soupy, try turning the heat up a bit.
This was so good! I had some cooked brown rice on hand so I used that instead of cooking new rice. I also used broth soaked soy curls for the chicken and added some chicken seasoning into the soy curls. Even my picky kids enjoyed it. Thank you!
You are welcome, Hannah! How fantastic that you guys enjoyed the casserole! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review!
Thanks for posting your results Hannah! I really wanted to know about using soy curls and brown rice. Thanks for Sharing. Thanks to you Nora for posting this recipe!
This is one of the first vegan recipes my husband and I ever tried!
Now we use this recipe often. I also now use your chicken and your cheddar cheese. Soooo good! Both my girls, 2.5 & 4.5, love it!
Very good. Used soy curls reconstituted with “no-chicken” broth.
So glad you liked it Lauren! Thank you for sharing your terrific feedback!
We aren’t vegan so we subbed chicken, but we have a lot of allergies and can’t use dairy, egg or nuts. This was great for my allergy kids. I was able to make this with ingredients we had at home which was great.
Hi Amy. I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed the casserole! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback!