This Creamy Turkey Rice Casserole is real food meets comfort food. Made from scratch without MSG, prepackaged sauces, or cream of anything soups, this dish is quick and easy and uses up that pesky leftover Turkey and maybe even some vegetables if you still have them laying around.
Nonstick cooking spray or butter, for the baking dish
2cupscooked turkey or chicken, shredded or cubed
2teaspoonssalt, more or less to taste
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder
2cupswhite rice, cooked
8ouncecream cheese
1cupmilk
1/4cupsour cream
1/4cupCheddar, shredded
1headbroccoli, cut into small florets
For the Topping:
2tablespoonsbutter, melted
1cuppanko breadcrumbs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish.
Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets, and boil or steam until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well and add broccoli layer on top of the rice layer in the casserole pan.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the cream cheese with the milk. Add the seasonings and stir to combine. Next, add the cheddar cheese and sour cream and stir to combine. Then add the turkey or chicken chunks and just heat through.
Pour the turkey (or chicken) cream sauce over the top of the broccoli-rice layers.
Mix the melted butter with the panko and toss to combine. Sprinkle panko over the top of the casserole.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the panko is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cook's Notes: After it's made, wrap and freeze this casserole for up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F according to recipe directions.