Make-Ahead Broccoli, Cheese & Rice

As I have stated before, I am really bad about eating my vegetables. I am like a child in that they have to be hidden or chopped up so tiny that I can't pick them out. I am getting better, but I'm still a work in progress. That being said, I'm trying to branch out in my meal choices. I decided to make a meal that has a vegetable as a main ingredient and see if I shriveled up and died from eating it. Happy to say, I didn't!

The key, for you non-veggie people like me, is to disguise the taste of the vegetable. This recipe does that wonderfully. Most of what you taste is the cheese and crackers, which, fortunately for me, I actually like. If you're Tyler, my son, then he wanted to taste more of the broccoli (I know, he's a weird kid who actually likes veggies).

• 6 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 can (14.5 oz) fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
• 1/2 lb Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 10 Ritz crackers, crushed
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broccoli and broth to boil in medium saucepan. Stir in rice, cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in Velveeta, let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir until Velveeta is completely melted. Spoon into microwaveable bowl. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, melt butter in small skillet on medium heat. Add cracker crumbs, cook 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Cool completely. Stir in Parmesan. Spoon into airtight container. Store at room temperature up to 24 hours.

Cover broccoli mixture with waxed paper just before serving. Microwave on high 5-6 minutes or until heated through; stir. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Microwave, uncovered 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

NOTES: I didn't do this "make ahead." I just made it that night, but it sounds like it would do fine in the fridge. Also, I didn't use fresh broccoli. The frozen stuff is good enough for me. You know they say that frozen is pretty good because it is flash frozen at the peak of it's freshness and locks in all the nutrients. Anyway, that's my little PSA.

I also added the tiniest amount of water after adding the rice. I don't have a medium size pot (Christmas gift, anyone?) so my choices were either super small or super large. I used small and felt like the stuff on top wasn't getting moist with the broth on the bottom. And there wasn't really room to stir. So I added maybe a quarter cup of water to make sure it was moist enough.

Serves: 12
Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 30 min

Recipe from www.KraftRecipes.com