Easy Spanish Rice Casserole

I was so happy the other day when I uncovered this in my healthy recipes arsenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve made this Easy Spanish Rice Casserole, but as a tex-mex lover, it gives me that south-of-the-border fix while not making my family crazy. Why must I always have this craving for Mexican food? When I visited one of my friends in California years ago (before kids, which feels like a lifetime ago) I had the. best. burrito. EVER. It was a little tiny place outside Santa Cruz and they looked at me weird when I asked for black beans rather than the standard pinto.

It’s probably a good thing I don’t live in California because I would probably only ever eat burritos. The specialty where I live is seafood so that’s a bit healthier and I definitely do not over-indulge in that. Actually, those of you that know me and/or follow my posts know that I rarely eat fish. That isn’t very healthy! We used to eat fish once a week (before kids). Now it’s mostly tuna and sometimes shrimp when it’s on sale. See all the healthy recipes on this site here.

Spanish Rice Casserole Recipe

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Recipe for Spanish Rice Casserole
(I did this all in one pot and then baked)

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 fresh tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup chile sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a large pot over medium low heat.. Stir in the onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, water, rice, chile sauce, salt, brown sugar, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper.

Let this simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then transport this to a 2-quart casserole dish. Press down firmly and sprinkle with the shredded Cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Tuesday

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

Wednesday

Slow Cooker Tikka Masala

Thursday

Eggroll in a Bowl

Friday

Quinoa Bean and Broccoli Bites