Monday, May 23, 2011

Cheesey Spanish Rice Bake

Joe and I love Spanish Rice.  It doesn't matter if it's homemade or Rice-a-Roni, we really enjoy it.  Just now I realized that I never shared my usual Spanish Rice recipe.  Well, we liked this one so much, it might be a while before I make our old favorite! 

Last week, I found this recipe for Spanish Rice Bake on the Betty Crocker website.  It looked easy and the ingredients are so basic that I had them all on hand.  Aside from taste, that's the top factor in deciding if a recipe is a keeper or not! 

The recipe calls for Condensed Tomato Soup.  I wasn't sure how I was going to like that.  I use Condensed Tomato Soup in my Beef Stew, but the soup flavor changes once it's combined with the London Broil and veggies.  In this case, I wondered how it would be without the meat helping to flavor the soup.  But I followed the recipe, only making a few adjustments:  I added celery, a tad bit more oil, left out the cilantro and used less cheese.  The result?  We loved it! 

I originally planned to serve this with some quesadillas during the week.  But I didn't get around to it until the weekend.  We picked up some BBQ Chicken at a community event on Saturday and this rice dish was the perfect side dish! 



Cheesey Spanish Rice Bake

Ingredients: 
  • 3 Tbs. Olive Oil
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray
  • Cook rice, onion, celery and peppers in hot oil until rice is golden and veggies are tender.  Stir often.
  • Add corn.  Cook a minute longer. 
  • In a bowl, combine the soup, boiling water, chili powder and salt.  Pour into casserole dish. 
  • Add the rice mixture. 
  • Cover and bake for 20 minutes. 
  • Stir in 3/4 cup cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese over the top.
  • Bake uncovered for another few minutes, until cheese is melted. 
Notes: 
  • You can add the first half of the cheese when combining all of the ingredients in the casserole dish before putting it in the oven (like the original recipe).  My laptop battery died and I was following the recipe by memory at that point! 
  • I'm not a huge fan of cheese, I liked the cheese that was melted throughout the casserole, but I could have skipped the cheese on top.  Next time, I'll only sprinkle cheese on the top of half of the casserole. 
  • Also, the next time I make this, I'll be adding a cup of black beans to bulk it up a bit and making it a complete (meatless) meal! 
  • Adding some pre-cooked diced chicken in the last 30 minutes of cooking would also be a great option for bulking up this recipe.

I'll be sharing this recipe with the following blog carnivals and linky parties: 


hugs,

13 comments:

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

The rice looks awesome! I love rice like this, thanks!

annies home said...

I think the cheese will do it for my family I love rice they like it but they love cheese thanks for the recipe come visit me at http://shopannies@yahoo.com

Wendy said...

That sounds really good. I have a spanish rice recipe that I throw in frozen mixed veggies and it looks alot like this one. YUM!

Would love to have you link up to Tip Day Thursday some time!

Wendy
Around My Family Table

Cajun Cowgirl said...

Popping over from Tuesdays at the Table.
This looks like a great side dish! Can't wait to try!

Candi said...

Thanks for visiting! Yes, I'm on the weight loss journey. I've struggled with my weight off and on over the past 20 years. Pretty much since I had my gall bladder taken out at 16. I've lost 24 lbs since January using sparkpeople.com. I LOVE it and it's FREE :) Looking forward to getting to know you better.
Candi :)

Katie @ This Chick Cooks said...

The betty crocker site is great, isn't it? I hope you can stop by and share your spanish rice at These Chicks Cooked Recipe Spotlight. Have a blessed day, Alison :)
Katie

carolinaheartstrings said...

This looks fantastic. My daughter loves rice. Cannot wait to try this recipe.

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

Looks so good, so cheesy and flavorful, we'd love it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Allison,
This cheesy spanish rice is a sure hit to me and my family.Cant wait to check more of your dishes,Would you be interested to know about Creole Spanish Filipino food? I am your newest follower.Hope you can come and visit me. www.cookiedropletsetcbymarelie.com

purabi naha said...

Hi, I liked the recipe of Spanish rice, it is so different. I have never tried this kind of recipe and shall give it a try for sure.

Miz Helen said...

Hi Alison,
Your Cheesey Spanish Rice Bake look delicious. We would just love this as a side or a main dish to go with our Tex Mex Dinners. This recipe has great flavor. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!

Amy said...

Sounds like a delicious spanish rice recipe! What a perfect side dish to make for any meal!

BTW, I'm hosting a little Giveaway on my blog. Please stop by to enter when you have a chance. Here's the link: http://utry.it/2011/05/hong-kong-macau-and-australia-trippart.html

Have a wonderful weekend.

Amy
http://utry.it

Tara @ Feels Like Home said...

Thanks for sharing your recipe. We'll have to try it!

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