Broccoli Casserole

This dish has replaced the much beloved green bean casserole on my family's holiday table.  It is super easy to prepare, cheesy and gooey to eat, and versatile, in that you can cook it in the oven or the crockpot.  Since the oven at my house is BEYOND tiny, that's an added bonus.  My mom got this recipe from a coworker.  All I can say is: God bless that coworker!

No, it's not very healthy.  But hey, it's the holidays.  I won't apologize for this dish, and neither should you.  It's not something you eat all the time.  But every once in a while, it's a real treat.

This recipe feeds many.  It makes a 13 x 9 pan FULL of goodness, and a little bit goes a long way.  If you feel this is too much, feel free to halve the recipe and make it in an 8 x 8 pan. But in my house, there has to be enough to feed the family, and then supply two households with leftovers.  So we always go with the big pan. 

Enough chit chat, though.  On to the recipe.  It's almost Thanksgiving, and we've got cooking to do!
Broccoli Casserole

• 4 lbs of frozen broccoli, mostly thawed and dried on paper towels to get excess water off
• 1 2 lb block of Velveeta (I use 2%), sliced
• 2 tubes of Ritz crackers, placed in a plastic bag and bashed around to crush them
• 1 stick of butter, melted (NOTE: In the past, I have omitted the butter when making this in the crockpot and it still turns out great.) 

1. Spray a 13 x 9 pan or crockpot with cooking spray. 
2. Spread out broccoli over the bottom of the dish.
3. Layer Velveeta slices on top of broccoli to cover it.  (Use as much or as little of the cheese as you like.  It's your holiday!) 
4. Add the melted butter to the plastic bag of crushed Ritz crackers and smoosh the mixture around to combine. (Yes, smoosh is a technical term.) 
5. Sprinkle the topping on top of the Velveeta.
6. If baking in the oven, bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
7. If using a crockpot, cook on LOW for 3 hours, until hot and bubbly.