How Rice and Bean Casserole Can Be the Jumping Off Point for Many Delicious Dinners to Come

I concocted this particular black bean and rice recipe because it’s a great starting point for this blog. It fits the bill for those hard-to-please younger palettes. This is something that gets gobbled up quickly in my house and is perfect for quick meals during a busy school year. Make it on a Monday or Tuesday and you’ll probably get a few leftover meals out of it, too.

Add a bean and rice casserole to your cooking toolbox and you will have the start of many great meals to come.

The Key to Success in a Bean and Rice Casserole is in Cooking the Rice

The key for success in a black bean and rice casserole is the rice prep. My goal is for the rice to soak up extra liquid in the casserole but still end up fully cooked. When I prepare the rice I’m going to cook it with less water for less time. I also don’t rinse the rice first because I want some extra starch to help bind the rest of the ingredients.

In this recipe I use one cup of medium grain brown rice and and one and half cups water. I use brown rice because it has more nutrients that white rice, but feel free to use the rice of your choosing. Just be sure to undercook your rice, that way it has a little room left to soak up the other flavors we’ll add to the casserole.

Bring the water to a boil, add the rice, bring back to a boil, stir, take the heat down to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Prepping the Ingredients for the Bean and Rice Casserole

While it’s cooking, you can get the rest of the ingredients and start prepping and combining them.

Medium dice a whole Red Pepper

Medium dice a whole medium zucchini

Open 2 15oz cans black beans and wash them in a colander or sieve

Open the 12oz bag of frozen corn and add to bowl

Add the 7oz can of fire roasted chilis (these are not hot!)

Add the cooked rice

Then add the green enchilada sauce for flavor (I use this brand because it does not have any MSG and just tastes a little better than many of the other canned versions)

Add salt and pepper to taste

Add 1.5 cups of shredded cheese (I’ve used a ubiquitous mexican blend but cheddar is good, too!)

Mix it up and add it to a 16×9 banking pan, spreading it evenly

Finally top it with another half cup of shredded cheese

Cover it with foil and pop it into a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes

When you take it out of the oven it should be bubbling and slightly browned on top.

My family likes this with a little sour cream on top and their favorite salsa or hot sauce.

Bean and Rice  Casserole is Customizable

The great thing about this dish is it’s very versatile and highly customizable.

You can use white rice instead of brown.

You can use pinto beans instead of black beans.

You can add other proteins like ground beef, shredded chicken or pork, even shrimp.

You can add or exchange some of your family’s favorite vegetables or mushrooms, olives, and different cheeses.

You can use a red enchilada sauce instead of a green sauce for a different flavor.

You can even go off into a different flavor profile entirely. How about using an Indian masala or butter sauce? That sounds pretty tasty actually!

Bean and Rice Casserole Will Go Easy on Your Bank Account

The other great thing about this recipe is its cost. The most expensive thing here was the green enchilada sauce, which was about $4 and the cheese, which might have been about $2-$3 when purchased in bulk.

Everything else was literally a dollar or less. That means the whole casserole cost about $13-$14 to make.

At 8 servings per casserole, that gives you less than $2 per serving, which is really affordable.

This Casserole is Nutritious and Relatively Low Calorie

You get complex carbs from the rice and and beans and when you combine them you also get protein. You also get fiber from the beans and the veggies (my wife would want me to add more veggies) and some fat from the cheese.

As for calories, I calculated about 2700-2800 calories in this whole thing. That means you are getting about 350 calories per serving, without the sour cream and avocado. 

Messing with the Children

One more thing. If you really want to mess with your kids, thow out and drain the water out of this bag of spinach and toss it in there. Get ’em, ma!