Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole

[mos]

This cheesy beef and rice casserole is a hit with the family, and takes about 10 minutes to throw together. The oven does most of the work. You’ll need ground beef for this one, you could also use ground turkey or venison if you have that instead.

Beef and Rice Casserole

1 lb extra-lean ground beef or 1 pound of All Purpose Ground Beef Mix
1-1/2 cups Mexican-style four-cheese shredded blend
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
14.5-oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 1/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1. Heat oven to 375º.
2. Brown meat in large non-stick skillet.  Drain. Return meat to skillet.
3. Reserve 1 cup cheese for later use. Add remaining cheese and all remaining ingredients to meat.  Mix well.
4. Spoon into 13×9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover.
5. Bake 55 min or until rice is tender. Top with reserved cheese.  Bake, uncovered, 5 min or until melted.  Serves 8

Other Serving Ideas:

1 Top with a dollup of sour cream, a splash of hot sauce, sliced jalapeno peppers, and some halved black olives.

2 If your family likes spicy food, use a can of fire-roasted tomatoes or spicy rotel tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes.

3 If you don’t happen to have fat free or reduced sodium chicken broth, you can just as easily use any chicken bouillon you have and water in it’s place. Just dissolve the bouillon in 1 cup of warm water before adding it to the recipe.

4 One Pot Wonder– If you’d rather, you can cook this dish in one deep skillet on the stove top. Brown the beef, then add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Put a lid on the pot, reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Remove the lid, top with cheese, put the lid back on and cook 2-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. The entire dinner takes less than 30 minutes.

5 Serve leftovers in a warmed tortilla for lunch the next day, they’re delish!

[Melissa Burnell]

To ketofy this beef & rice casserole, omit the rice, reduce the chicken broth to 1/2 cup and add 3 cups of shredded cauliflower rice (in place of regular rice).

It’s delicious! I also use a can of Fire-Roasted tomatoes for additional kick, rather than plain diced tomatoes.

[Melissa Burnell]

To ketofy this beef & rice casserole, omit the rice, reduce the chicken broth to 1/2 cup and add 3 cups of shredded cauliflower rice (in place of regular rice).

It’s delicious! I also use a can of Fire-Roasted tomatoes for additional kick, rather than plain diced tomatoes.

[Author]

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