grown-up broccoli cheese rice

last updated on October 29, 2026

I feel like everyone grew up eating broccoli cheddar rice, or at least broccoli cheddar in some form! Today we are elevating it and making a grown-up broccoli cheese rice. It is creamy and cozy, while also being bright and delicious. It comes together in 20 minutes and is a perfect weeknight meal.

The main stars that are elevating this dish are white beans (yay beans!), lemon juice, and parmesan. If you aren’t a beans fan, you can leave them out, but I highly recommend leaving them in. They add protein and depth to this dish and they’re so cheap! The lemon juice gives the dish a fresh pop of flavor, and the parmesan is an elevated step up from cheddar cheese.

ingredients needed for grown-up broccoli cheese rice

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 3 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 15 oz can white beans
• 1 cup parmesan, grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil, parmesan, lemon zest (for topping)

how to make this meal even faster

This is currently my favorite lunch to whip up because it comes together in 20 minutes. And there are a few things that can make it even faster! First is to use a bag of broccoli that is already pre-washed and in pieces. This just saves a few minutes of washing and cutting down an entire head of broccoli! Next is using pre-cooked rice. It could be leftover rice from a previous meal, or my favorite, Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice. It cooks in 3 minutes and tastes amazing. And we aren’t above using the microwave here! Use whatever will make your life easier.

other recipes you will love

• wild mushroom farro
• dilly chicken and white bean soup
• sweetgreen harvest bowl
• slow roasted citrus salmon

grown-up broccoli cheese rice

[category] Main Course

[published] March 2, 2023

[PREP] 5 minutes mins

[COOK] 15 minutes mins

Print recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken)
• 3 cups broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups brown rice cooked
• 1 15 oz can white beans drained
• 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil, parmesan, lemon zest for topping

Instructions

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until mostly cooked through. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute.
2. Add vegetable broth and broccoli. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and most of the broth is reduced.
3. Add cooked brown rice, white beans and stir until combined. If there is still more liquid than you prefer, continue to cook for a couple minutes until the consistency is how you want it.
4. Add parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Divide the mixture onto plates and top with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest, and some extra parmesan. Enjoy!