Betty June Gartman was my mother. She grew up in Bay Town, TX. One summer she visited my Aunt Sookie in Morgantown, MS, where she met my dad and married him six weeks later. They were married 52 years before they both died four months apart. Never once in my whole life did we have Thanksgiving without Betty’s Best Broccoli Rice Bake. Yes, I realize this recipe is every church cookbook south of Memphis, but when I’m dead and gone, I want my children to be able to find the recipe at fridaynightporchparty.com. It’s truly a Mississippi family classic.
Betty's Best Broccoli Bake
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
8 ounce jar of sliced mushrooms
1/2 stick butter
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 pound Velveeta type processed cheese
1 pre-cooked cup of rice
3 cups small fresh broccoli florets
4 ounce package sliced almonds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin by cooking the rice in a medium boiler. Drain, rinse and set aside. Do the same with your broccoli florets. Don't cook them too long. I like mine to keep a little crunch. Set the broccoli aside. (Be sure to salt the water for the rice and broccoli) In a Dutch oven, cook the onions and celery in the butter till tender. Add in the cheese and soups stirring until combined and the cheese is melted. Add in the rice and broccoli. Transfer to your 8 X 11 baking. Top with the almonds. Bake about 30 minutes and the almonds begin to brown.