Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Mexican Brown Rice Casserole

This is from my sister's sister-in-law. We tried it yesterday, liked it, and made notes of what we want to tweak next time we make it. It meets the requirements for the "ideal recipe": inexpensive, healthy, tasty enough to look forward to a few times a month, easy to prepare, and made from whole food ingredients that are standard pantry items here.


Cook
1 ½ cups brown rice
3 cups water

While rice is cooking,
thaw 10-oz box of frozen spinach,
and squeeze or drain to remove excess moisture.

Combine the cooked rice with
1 ½ cups salsa
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

In another bowl, combine
1 quart (or 2 15-oz cans) of refried beans
16-oz bag of frozen corn (preferably thawed)
1 finely chopped onion
4-oz can diced green chili peppers
1 Tbsp chili powder

Layer in the greased pan:
- half the rice mixture
- bean & corn mixture
- spinach
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar.
- the rest of the rice mixture.

Bake at 375° for about 25 minutes.
Add another 1/2 cup grated cheddar.
Bake 5 more minutes.
Top with plenty of chopped fresh cilantro (optional).

6 comments:

  1. Sounds fabulous! (And I can get all the ingredients at Aldi, too, except for the brown rice, which they only have occasionally.)

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  2. So how do you plan to tweak it?

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  3. This is with the tweaks. Before it said 10 oz corn, 1 can beans, less cumin and chili, no garlic or onion, less cheese. Andrew says it needs a little hamburger; Gary says it needs a little chicken. (So much for vegetarian.)

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  4. I was going to ask about some ground beef. Also, do you think Black beans would work? And, how many does this serve? Sounds good, and very Tex-Mex!

    Debbie

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  5. I don't know if I'd put the hamburger in with the rice, or if I'd add it into the bean/corn mixture. I suspect either way would be fine.

    I really liked the creamy mushiness of the refried beans, and how that texture complemented the rice's texture. I think it would be pretty dry if it were made with black beans. I sure like the taste of black beans and corn and rice. I've seen refried black beans, and I betcha that would be excellent!

    The recipe I started with (a little smaller than what I have recorded here) said it serves 6. I would've said the original served 3, and the tweaked version serves 4. So, Debbie, I guess it depends on whether you eat like my family or Sandy's family (where it would serve 10).

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  6. Mmm...sounds yummy and easy! Definitely going to try this out :-) -Heidi

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