This is my 2nd time making this and I finally decided to rate it. The one thing everyone must do that is not included in the recipe is to fully cook the potatoes before baking them in the casserole. The 1st time I did not even cook them at all and the 2nd almost halfway and I still had raw potatoes. I microwaved them the rest of the way to save time. If cooked properly this recipe has a full rich flavor and is very filling as a main vegetarian dish. I am going to make for the third time with fully cooked potatoes.
I give it 5 stars with the right modifications. Boiling the potatoes for a few minutes is a must. I used one can cream of broccoli and one can cream of mushroom. I also added 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 small chopped onion. Instead of saltine crackers, I mixed half a box of Stove Top stuffing with some melted butter and used that for the crunchy topping.
The final, modified result was DELICIOUS!
This was good but it actually took over two hours to bake. Next I make this I will boil the potatoes slightly first.
I've made this recipe twice and really enjoy it. No it's not gourmet fare but not everything has to be. I've found that this works best for me: Peel 3 pounds potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Boil for 8 minutes and then add a whole bag of frozen broccoli. Cook for a minute or so until the broccoli has thawed. Drain and return to the pot. In a bowl stir together 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup 1 can cream of broccoli cheese soup 1 C light or fat free sour cream 1 t mustard 1 t garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Carefully stir the soup mixture into the potatoes and broccoli making sure not to turn it into mashed potatoes! Spoon into a greased baking dish and bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes. I skip the cheddar cheese since the sauce already has cheese and we don't care for cracker crumbs so I leave them out. Hope this helps someone!
I too cooked the broccoli and potatoes first and used cream of mushroom soup instead of cr. of broccoli. I substituted non-fat sour cream which worked fine. I also used Monterey Jack cheese along with the cheddar. This was a delicious meal which I will make again for sure!
This recipe is very tasty but the potatoes must be baked before you put them in the casserole or they will still be raw after the 45 minutes of baking. I also suggest putting the temperature up to 350-375.
I didn't read the reviews first. I should have. It cooked for over an hour and was still just not quite done. I personally didn't care for it. Too starchy but the family came back for thirds.
Not my favourite recipe a little to thick and heavy.
The end result was pretty good but it did take almost 2 hours to cook and I even cut the potatoes small. Maybe precook (boil) the potatoes for at least 10 minutes first? That's what I will do next time.
