Cheesy Beef and Rice Bake

Submitted by Sharlene~W

"This is a quick and easy kid-friendly recipe I found years ago in a Better Homes & Garden cookbook. The kids never know they are eating their carrots."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef or 1 lb ground pork
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup carrot, shredded
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1⁄2 - 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (use more or less as desired)

directions

1. In large saucepan, cook ground beef or pork and garlic until meat is browned.
2. Drain off fat.
3. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. In same saucepan, cook uncooked rice in butter until golden brown, stirring frequently.
5. Stir in water, carrot, bouillon, parsley, onion, salt and basil.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in meat mixture.
9. Turn half into a 1 1/2 quart casserole.
10. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese.
11. Top with remaining meat mixture.
12. Bake at 325°F oven for 45 minutes, stirring twice.
13. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
14. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Reviews

[WJKing]

This was really yummy. I have to admit, I'm not much of a meat eater, so I added two CUPS of shredded cheddar to this. :) <LOL> My DH loved this, so this is a keeper. I'll try this on my ds's tomorrow to see if this indeed can get my young children to eat CARROTS! :) Thanks for sharing!

 

[shortstuff]

This is a very yummy dish. It has a wonderful, different flavor from what I usually make, making it a real treat to find. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!:o)

 

[bubblegirl]

I didnt add the carrots as we are not big fans,i did add extra cheese(is there such a thing as too much?)this was a good recipe,fast & easy to make,thanks for posting Sharlene

 

[Queen Roachie]

We LOVED this. I was worried it would be bland or that the rice wouldn't cook, but it was perfect. I cooked this in a straight sided skillet (10 inch) with ground beef rather than pork. I didn't measure the cheese... just made a layer each time. This looked too soupy when it was ready to go into the oven, but the rice absorbed the liquid and it cooked up perfectly. Served with Italian bread. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.

 

[Chef shapeweaver]

I made this on 5/17/11 for mine and SO's dinner.While the meat was browning,some seasoned salt and pepper was added.For the garlic, I subbed about 1 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder. Also, instead of using bouillon granules I used a beef bouillon paste which has more intense flavor without the extra salt.Except for the parsley, all the other dry ingredients were doubled.And to make sure that the rice would get cooked through, the dish was covered with a bit of foil and still stirred twice.Instead of adding the final amount of cheese to the top and letting it melt, each individual serving was topped with a small amount of shredded sharp chedder cheese.This dish had a lot of flavor and will most certainly be made again. Thank you for posting and, " Keep Smiling :) "