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Mexican Rice Casserole

Mexican Rice Casserole


My friend Asheley used to make this Mexican rice casserole for me all the time and I finally decided to recreate it myself.  My friend would use a can of spicy Mexican tomato sauce but since there would be kids eating I opted to use regular tomato sauce. I also decided to throw in some black beans, cilantro, and extra seasonings. It turned out really delicious – we all loved it. I topped it with sour cream but also served it with salsa and guacamole on the side. This Mexican rice casserole was quick and easy to make and paired nicely with my Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Mexican Rice Casserole:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of white rice, prepared per instructions
  • 1 tsp of olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
  • 3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
  • 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3-4 tomatoes, sliced thickly
  • Sour cream (topping)
  • Salsa (topping)
  • Guacamole (topping)

Mexican Rice Casserole

How to Make Mexican Rice Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare rice per instructions.

While the rice is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes then add the diced onion and all of the seasonings. Stir until well combined and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the beef is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for an additional 60 seconds.

Add the cooked rice, drained and rinsed black beans, tomato sauce, and a bit of cilantro (reserving some for garnishing) to the beef and onion mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, taste, and re-season if needed.

Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray and pour the rice mixture into the dish, spreading it evenly. Place the tomato slices on top of the rice mixture then top with cheddar cheese.

Mexican Rice Casserole

Spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray (so the cheese won’t stick) and cover the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil.

Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Top with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining chopped cilantro. Enjoy.

Mexican Rice Casserole

Mexican Rice Casserole

Mexican Rice Casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8
Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

Casserole:

  • 1 ½ cups of white rice prepared per instructions
  • 1 tsp of olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
  • 3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped (divided)
  • 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese to taste
  • 3-4 tomatoes sliced thickly

Serving:

  • Sour cream
  • Salsa
  • Guacamole

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare rice in a small saucepan per instructions.
  • While the rice is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles.
  • Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes then add the diced onion and all of the seasonings. Stir until well combined and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the beef is cooked through and the onion is tender. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for an additional 60 seconds.
  • Add the cooked rice, drained and rinsed black beans, tomato sauce, and a bit of cilantro (reserving some for garnishing) to the beef and onion mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, taste, and re-season if needed.
  • Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray and pour the rice mixture into the dish, spreading it evenly. Place the tomato slices on top of the rice mixture then top with cheddar cheese.
  • Spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray (so the cheese won't stick) and cover the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil.
  • Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Top with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining chopped cilantro. Enjoy.
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20 Comments

  1. I made this today….I added 1 tsp. salt and about 1/2 tsp. pepper..I thought it was a little bland so I mixed 1-1/2 cups of salsa right to the rice mixture before putting it in the baking dish….I used Mexican shredded cheese for the top….was very good served with homemade hot rolls.

  2. I am making this tonight and want to verify something. It says 1 1/2 cups of rice. Is that measured dry rice, then cook it OR is that already cooked rice that is going into the oven? Thanks

  3. The rice amount isn’t really clear to me either! Because I don’t want to mess-up the seasoning ratio, I just thought I would check. I understand the rice should be cooked, but is it 1 1/2 cups rice before it is cooked or 1 1/2 cups after it is prepared? A measure of 1 1/2 cups dry before preparation would obviously yield quite a bit more rice. Thank you so much, sorry to be a bother!

    1. Yes it does, Pam! Thank you. I’m following from Madrid and dinner was getting close, so I went ahead and prepared one cup of dried rice, since I figured that would be either just under or over the quantity. About to go in the oven and it looks delicious (OK, it tastes delicious too…I checked).

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  5. Made this tonight…very tasty. It’s a keeper. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so I drained a can of diced tomatoes and spread that on top.

  6. This looks delish! One question…have you tried freezing this? Would you bake first, then freeze and just reheat. Or freeze before you bake it?
    Thank you!
    SJ

    1. Stephanie,

      I’ve never tried freezing it before, so I don’t know how it would turn out. If you do freeze it, please let me know how it turns you.

      Thanks,
      Pam

  7. I have been making this recipe for my family FOR YEARS! We like to have it in the summer. I plan to teach my children how to make this. Thanks so much for this recipe!

    1. Kristen,

      Thank you for taking the time to let me know. You’ve made my day with your sweet comment. ❤️

      -Pam