It was 4 o’clock. The kids were hungry. And we had no idea what to make for dinner. This entire scenario begs the question: what did we do before the internet?

We looked at what we had in the kitchen: spinach, broccoli, shredded cheese, and a huge box of rice. After a quick search of typing all of the ingredients we had on hand into Google (hence the what did we do before the internet question), we found a super easy recipe that had them all in it! Imagine that! It took no time to prep and/or cook and the kids had three helpings each, so needless to say we’ll be adding this to our weeknight dinner rotation.

One thing we added that the recipe didn’t call for was broccoli. We had some in the refrigerator that was going to go bad soon, so we cut it up into florets and added it in with the rest of the ingredients. This is a meatless recipe, so the broccoli gave some texture and heartiness to the casserole that it may have lacked without it.

But let’s get to the recipe! Here’s what you’re going to need…

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish
1 small onion, minced
2 cups of broccoli florets (optional)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for top
4 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large casserole dish.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions with 2 tablespoons of butter and cayenne until translucent. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.
Add the cheese, rice, parsley, thyme, basil, spinach mixture, and broccoli (optional) and combine well. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and serve piping hot.

We hope you enjoy it as much as all of us did!