Broccoli Cheese & Rice Casserole - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups cooked rice, packed cups
1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 cup mushroom, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan.
Saute onion and celery in butter in a large skillet over medium heat till clear. Add mushrooms and saute till soft.
Add flour to skillet and stir to make a blond colored roux. Slowly add cream and milk, stirring to incorporate well. Using a whisk makes this quicker. Add basil, thyme and parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli by adding it to a pot of boiling water for no more than 2 minutes. This keeps the bright green color.
In a large bowl, mix broccoli, rice, onion & mushrooms sauce, & cheese. Add chicken broth if mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste.
Pour into greased casserole dish. Cover with bread crumbs.
Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly all the way through.