This recipe was inspired by Hunter and all of his favorite foods…Broccoli, Cheese, Bacon, Spice and Ritz Crackers (also known in our family as “snowflake crackers”). When thinking of a way to combine all of his favorite foods my mind immediately went to casserole.
Pretty sure I nailed it with this one folks. With Hunter’s very first bite he proudly proclaimed, “you’re the best chef in the world Mommy.” This super cheesy dish is a surprisingly much lighter dish than one would think. It’s the perfect side dish with just enough zip to keep the taste buds excited and the tummy satisfied but not too full. This dish is so good it can definitely hold its own as a main course as well.
INGREDIENTS:
x3 Crowns Fresh Broccoli, cooked and drained
x1 cup Ricotta Cheese
x1 can Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
x4 TBS Melted Grass Fed Butter
1/4 cup Diced White Onion
x1 TBS Minced Garlic
x1 tsp Red Pepper Flake
12oz package of Bacon, cooked to extra crispy and crumbled
x2 Eggs
x1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
x1 sleeve Hint of Salt Ritz crackers, crushed
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grab a 9×13 baking dish. Grease baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Break down your broccoli crowns into bite sized pieces and steam in the microwave with a 1/4 cup of water for 7-10 minutes or until soft. Be sure and keep the stems! Slice them up real thin and pop them in the freezer to use at a later date.
3. Spread already cooked broccoli into the bottom of your baking dish.
4. In a mixing bowl, pour melted butter, ricotta cheese, cream of chicken soup, diced white onion, garlic, red pepper flake and mix well.
5. Stir in both eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, bacon, salt, pepper and mix well.
6. Spread mixture over broccoli in baking dish and mix well to evenly coat.
7. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheddar and parmesan cheeses on top of the broccoli casserole then cover with a top layer of crushed Ritz crackers.
8. Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes or until heated through.
You can absolutely use frozen broccoli to cut down on prep time. And switch things up by using different shredded cheese varieties. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! Be sure and stay tuned for an upcoming recipe using those broccoli stems.
This looks amazing! Broccoli is one of the vegetables my kids love. I can easily substitute gluten free crackers also. Thank you for this great recipe!
Yes! Swapping out the crackers for a GF option would be so easy. Give it a try and let me know what you think! 🤗
Absolutely! I will even sometimes swap out the cheese for a dairy free option too. So so good! Let me know if you try it!