How much broccoli do you think this is?

[juliejulez]

So, since I love my SO, I am making him a disgusting chicken broccoli and rice casserole that he loves. I got the recipe from his mother. It involves fine ingredients such as mayonnaise and cans of cream of mushroom soup.

Anyway, in the recipe, it calls for "1 bag of frozen broccoli". I've never bought frozen broccoli in a bag really, and fresh broccoli is on sale for 88 cents a pound. So, how much fresh broccoli would I need to equal a normal bag size? Any ideas?

This is what I get for actually asking him what he wants me to make :-P

[treb]

probably a pound, so what are you going to eat?

[ttoommyy]

Isn't the whole idea of a casserole like this to kind of improvise with what one has on hand in the pantry, fridge, etc? That said, I think anywhere from 1 to heads of fresh broccoli would be fine. Just depends on how broccoli-heavy you want the finished dish to be. No big deal. :)

[juliejulez]

Thanks all. I'll probably just do the frozen because, as pinehurst said, I don't want to mess with mama's recipe :) I think I've actually gotten out of making it for him this week since I promised steak on Saturday night instead. But I know it's inevitable that I will have to make it soon, this is the third time he's brought it up.

This is the homemade version I have. It includes a recipe for a homemade substitute for condensed cream of chicken soup. I don't think I could sub it for his mom's version as it is different, but it will be fun to try both kinds: http://pinchofyum.com/chicken-and-ric...

[wyogal]

Yep, do Mom's first, then do the home made version. You know, I did it your way, now here is mine. Then wait and see how it goes.

[sandylc]

Yes - this!

I would be tempted to switch them, though...ha.

[pinehurst]

I'm with the posters who say "buy the frozen"...especially since the recipe was from His Mom. There is no need to mess with anything he loves that was pioneered by His Mom.

[wyogal]

Blanch the fresh broccoli before using it in the recipe. Or just break down and buy the frozen. :)
Then, for the next time you make it, try a homemade, from scratch version.

[Ruthie789]

I would use one bunch of brocoli to replace the frozen bag of brocoli. Good luck, love the retro picture!

[alkapal]

if you use the fresh, it will not be the same texture or flavor. use the frozen.

make your fresh broccoli separate -- like you usually do. don't "waste" it in that casserole.

[melpy]

I made a quiche using fresh that could have been frozen. I steamed the broccoli, chopped coarsely, sautéed briefly in butter with a few scallions. Great flavor and the right texture for quiche.

[sandylc]

It's only one dinner, and some of these things don't taste too bad....I predict you'll be thirsty after all the processed stuff.

You should try making it from scratch sometime and see what he thinks about it.

The fresh broccoli should at least help.

[juliejulez]

I'll just drink a bunch of wine while I'm making it, so at that point, I won't care what it tastes like heh. J/K, I'm sure it tastes ok, it's just not my way of making things.

I do have a chicken and rice casserole recipe from scratch, I haven't made it yet though. I should do it and not tell him how I made it to see if he can figure out the difference.

[Ruthie789]

A wine pairing with the casserole is in order!

[masha]

A "bag" of frozen broccoli probably refers to a16 oz bag (there are also 32 oz bags I think). That would require buying a bit more than 1 lb of fresh broccoli since the frozen product is already trimmed.

[jmcarthur8]

They do sell it in one pound bags, Julie. That could be it.
And for your dining pleasure, here's the version of broccoli casserole that one of my coworkers in the 80's gave me :
1 onion
1/2 stick of butter
1 10oz pkg frozen broccoli
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/4 lb Velveeta or 8 oz Cheez Whiz
1 10 3/4 oz can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup

Brown onion in butter. Add broccoli and heat. Combine with remaining ingredients and bake at 350' for one hour.

I have to admit, I have made this using cheddar instead of the cheese goo, but I really don't mind mushroom soup. It's a real nostalgia thing for me.

[coll]

My coworker in the 70s or 80s gave me a broccoli casserole recipe which is the only way I can get my husband to eat broccoli. It involves Velveeta and Ritz crackers, and makes an appearance on our Thanksgiving table every year, by popular demand!

[sandylc]

Yeah, I've had that one. If you sub in some shredded cheddar for the plastic cheese, it's embarassingly good.

[coll]

I have used regular cheese at times, but Velveeta it has to be in the holiday version. No apologies, it is what it is. Tonight I'm making hubby the only other thing I buy Velveeta for, coincidentally Cream of Broccoli Soup. If it gets him to eat broccoli, I can live with it.

[ipsedixit]

Well, how much chicken are you using?

[juliejulez]

It calls for a whole rotisserie chicken.

[ipsedixit]

Well, the devil in me wants to ask "How big of a rotisserie chicken?" but I won't go there. :-)

Let's assume it's a 5 pound bird, I would go with anywhere between a 1 or 1.5 pound bag of frozen broccoli.

So if you take the common assumption that 10 ounces frozen chopped broccoli is about 2.5 cups fresh broccoli (chopped), I would use anywhere from 4 to 5 cups of fresh broccoli.

[juliejulez]

Yeah good question, it just says "1 rotisserie chicken" I was thinking of just cooking up some breasts and cutting them up and seeing what I end up with. Or, just roasting my own chicken ahead of time. I don't like buying rotisserie chickens, I feel like spending $7 or $8 on something that I could make for a little more than half the price just seems wasteful.

[cheesemonger]

that reminds me of chicken divan, made with all the cream -of soups, and yes, mayo. You must really love him. :)

2 large heads would be fine. To get it to taste like frozen (mushier), you'll have to par cook it before adding.

[Musie]

Mayo in a casserole? Different....

The last bag of broccoli I bought was around 900g at a guess, so roughly 2 large heads of broccoli.

[coll]

Mayo is the secret to my tuna casserole, but it must be Hellmanns due to the egg content. Don't knock it til you try it ;-) just a cup adds a lot of creaminess.