Recipe Wednesday: Casserolé

The other day, I got a craving for what I've been calling black bean and rice bake for a couple years now (thank Ron for the fantastic new name). Borne out of the financial and taste bud desperation that only comes from eating takeout lunch many many days in a row at my former office, I threw together this casserole with what I had in my cupboard at the time. My intention was to reheat it several days in row, then eat it at my desk while window shopping online. Much to my surprise, I was able to do just that without getting sick of it.

Since then, I've made this casserole a few times, and unlike other leftovers that go neglected and watery in the fridge, I eat every last bite of it. There are lots of awesome things about this casserole: It's super easy, you can dump whatever you want into it, it's pretty good for you, it reheats beautifully and it can serve as either an entree or side. My leanings are vegetarian (especially since the pregnancy), so I like to eat big bowls of it by itself, but it pairs beautifully with grilled meats or eggs, too. Tonight I think we'll roll it into burritos with dollops of sour cream for burritos fantasticos!


CASSEROLÉ

28 oz. can diced tomatoes
15 oz. can black beans
4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 1/2 to 2 cups uncooked rice (not instant)
Water equivalent to the amount of rice used (ex: 2 cups rice=2 cups water)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves crushed/minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend for obvious reasons)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dump everything except the cheese (including all the juice in the cans) into a 9x13 baking dish (I use glass, but this is the type of slow-cooked dish that would be awesome in pottery/clay). Stir well.

Bake for one hour, removing from oven to stir at 30 minutes and 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Remove from over and cool a little before serving (it'll be muy caliente).


And that's all there is to it, really. It may not be the prettiest of casseroles, but man, do I love it. Hope you do, too. :)