I’m sure that casseroles are all over the place─done a million different ways─and have really been overused in the subject of food (like this broccoli cheddar one, or this tater tot casserole). I’m sorry in advance for laying yet another casserole recipe on you guys, but I can’t help it. Casseroles are so simple and easy to customize that they’re hard to avoid. So here it is: my take on a simple, relatively inexpensive rice casserole.
A great feature to this rice casserole is that it makes great leftovers. You might not think it’s too much looking at it, but this recipe is super filling, so a little bit of it will go a long way. I use this recipe a lot when I want to make some lunches for myself that don’t require too much effort but are still delicious. It is so great as leftovers because it can be eaten cold without a huge difference in flavor. If anything, the flavor is only amplified by the coldness. This makes it great as a lazy dinner recipe or for packed lunches when you won’t have the ability to heat up your food.
Another thing I like about this dish is that there is minimal cleanup. All you really have to wash right away are the saucepans and large spoon. You can cover what is left in the pan with aluminum foil, throw it in the fridge, and put off cleaning it until the rice casserole is completely gone. If you want to double this recipe, all you have to do is use a 9-inch square baking pan instead of a bread pan. So, you don’t even have to clean any more if you want to make a larger amount.
Simple Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cut the peel and cut the carrots and potato into small pieces and cut the onion into strips from the top to the bottom of the onion, making sure to discard the outer skin and brownish caps.
Add rice to a pot and add a little water until the rice is just covered. Mix the water and rice around a little bit so you can rinse off any impurities from the rice. This will improve the overall quality of the cooked rice. Be sure to drain as much of this water from the rice as possible, leaving only the wet rice in the pot.
Add water in a 1:1 ratio with the rice (meaning for every cup of rice you are cooking, add a cup of water to match). One cup should be all you need for this recipe, as the rice soaks in the flavors and becomes more filling along with the added substance of the vegetables. You can add a little extra water if you think you’ll leave the rice on the stove a little too long. You can also add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to help with this same problem.
Heat the rice uncovered on high until just boiling. Then mix the rice, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Let the rice simmer like this for about twenty minutes, or until the rice looks fluffy and has soaked up the water.
Remove the rice from heat and remove the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork so the rice can cool quickly and stop cooking.
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are slightly translucent. Add the soup in the saucepan, following the directions provided or making your own. I find it easiest to start doing this while waiting for the rice to finish cooking. Add the carrot and potato pieces and continue cooking until the carrots and potatoes are somewhat softer. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper to your liking. You might want to be a little more generous with these spices.
Add rice to a 9-inch bread pan and top with the warmed soup. Top with cheese and throw it in the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning. Be careful on the time! If you leave the casserole in for too long, it will dry out and start to burn.
As I said earlier, I find this dish to be most useful as great leftovers for packed lunches. It has that creamy, homey flavor and feel to it whether hot or cold, doesn’t cost much, is relatively easy to make, and requires minimal clean-up afterwards. For all you guys who want that homey, grandma’s-kitchen feeling, this is a recipe you need to try.