Broccoli, Cheddar and Wild Rice Casserole

Heat up the tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened.  Add in the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring well to coat, then add in the water and salt, bring it all to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the rice is tender.  Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 and spray a large casserole dish (I used my 4L Corning Ware) – stir the blanched broccoli into the rice mix and then scrape it all into your prepared casserole, then use the same skillet for the cheese sauce.  Heat up the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, add in the flour, dry mustard and cayenne (if using) and whisk until combined.  Cook for a minute or 2 then slowly drizzle in the milk while continuing to whisk, then add the broth the same way.  Bring the mixture to a boil while still whisking and gently boil until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add in about 2/3’s of the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted, generously season with salt and freshly ground pepper and then pour the cheese sauce over the rice and broccoli mix already in the casserole.  Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes until it’s bubbling – you can also stick it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown up the cheese right before serving.  We enjoyed this with a platter of barbecued sausage…and also loved it for leftovers later in the week.