Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

This recipe is another great one to add to the Meatless Monday collection. It has a good mixture of filling foods along with just enough dairy to make me one happy girl! I made this recipe the other night for my parents while husband was out of town. Husband always tells me that he thinks this casserole needs meat in it, but I completely disagree. This recipe stands up well on its own or you can throw all the ingredients into tortillas and make yummy bean and rice burritos. My parents both added a little homemade salsa and I munched on mine with a side of tortilla chips.

I made very few adjustments to the recipe. It was so good I didn’t need to make many! I use frozen corn instead of canned. Canned corn has a certain amount of saltiness to it that I cannot get rid of regardless of the amount of rinsing I do. Besides, frozen corn is a better bang for your buck. The original recipe called for one tablespoon of diced green chilies but I decided to throw the whole can in. I love the taste of green chilies and I knew that one tablespoon wouldn’t be enough.

Don’t make the same mistake with the rice that I made the first time I made this recipe. I measured out one cup of rice and cooked it in the rice cooker. What I should have done next was measure out one cup of rice after it had cooked and put the remaining cooked rice in the freezer for later. Instead I dumped the whole pot of rice in the casserole dish and mixed in all the other ingredients. It was only after I was eating dinner did I realize I doubled the amount of rice in the recipe and nothing else.

This recipe is great if you are craving Mexican food (like I do ALL THE TIME) because it has great flavors but not the fat or calories. It would work well as side dish but don’t be afraid to try this as your main meal.

Enjoy!

1 cup yellow corn
4 oz. green chilies, diced
15 oz. pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup Mexican style cheese
¾ cup sour cream
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 T. scallions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a two quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, ¾ cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt, pepper and scallions.

 
Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about ten minutes more. Let stand for five minutes to firm up before serving.

Adapted from www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/RecipePage.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=136321