Mexican Beef and Rice Casserole
Whip up this Mexican beef and rice casserole for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy, with seasoned beef, salsa, rice, and melted cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef lean or extra-lean
- 15 ounces can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons envelope taco seasoning
- 14 ounces jar chunky salsa, mild or medium
- 1 cup minute rice uncooked
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F°F.
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, cook white onion and garlic with olive oil over high heat until the onions have softened and the garlic is just starting to brown. Pour the onion mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Using the same frying pan, cook ground beef over high heat. Break up beef into crumbles while baking. Be careful not to overcook, it shouldn’t be crispy.
- Once the meat has thoroughly cooked, drain off a bit of the grease and then pour it into the baking dish.
- Add corn, black beans, taco seasoning, salsa, uncooked minute rice, and 1 cup of shredded cheese to the baking dish and stir well to mix. Leave the remaining cheese for the top.
- Pour chicken broth over ingredients and mix well.
- Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and check that the rice has softened. If not, place it back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes and check again. If the rice has softened, remove all foil and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over top of the casserole, and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Serve hot.
Notes
It is very important to use minute rice for this recipe. It won’t work with regular rice.
This is a great freezer meal. Double your recipe and make a second casserole dish of this delicious meal for later.
For an even quicker cooking time, the ground beef and onions can be cooked ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.