Cheesy rice and bean casserole
Rice, two kinds of beans, corn and tomatoes stirred with sour cream and cheese and baked until bubbly, a great home for leftover rice and a freezer-friendly family dinner.
- 55 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.23 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, not drained
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1¾ cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 460 calories, 20 g protein, 56 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $1.23 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No black beans? Kidney beans work.
- No pinto beans? Kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Put the rice, water and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Have 3 cups of leftover rice? Skip this step and the next one.Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 18 minutes, then take it off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Stir the rice, beans, corn, Rotel with its juice, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 cup of the cheese together in a big bowl.
Spread it in a 9x13-inch baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese has and the edges bubble.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 20 min
Scatter green onions over the top and scoop onto plates.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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