Minute Rice Five Spice Casserole

Chef Garlic's Note:

Back around 1950, my grandmother found the recipe off the back of the Minute Rice box. Since then, it has become a family favorite, that we all request at some point in time. It is rather easy, and we usually serve it with cole slaw as the side dish. Plus, it makes wonderful leftovers!

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb ground beef (lean is great, as you don't need to drain it)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (or any oil you like)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons no-salt brand salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 dash pepper, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/8 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme (ground basil also works)
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano (ground is best)
• 1 -2 bay leaf (try to take them out before baking)
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can mushroom soup, reduced fat works okay
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (the larger "family size" is good)
• 1 cup Minute Rice
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese, reduced fat is good

Directions:

1. Brown meat in oil, add onions and cook until tender.
2. Stir in seasonings, soup, tomatoes, and Minute rice.
3. Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Stir occasionally.
5. Spoon into 1 1/2 quart baking dish. (But I only use a cast iron skillet, since it is both oven and stove top friendly. Plus, my Grandmother always made it in a cast iron skillet, and I did learn from her. She was the best cook for comfort foods.).
6. Criss cross with cheese and broil until cheese melts.
7. Garnish with olives if desired.
8. Instead of olives, we sometimes use jalepenos.
9. Also, this recipe works well when you cook it in a cast iron skillet- you only dirty one dish that way!

Reviews

[Stacky5]

Wonderful recipe! I've been looking for a kid-friendly Minute Rice recipe forever, and this is it! I used diced tomatoes like Bec, which gave it a perfect texture. The soup really rounded out the flavor of the sauce well! Thanks for sharing, Chef Garlic! :)

[Bec]

This was great! Very fast to prepare too- perfect for being short on time (and all the ingredients were on hand!) I used 93% lean ground beef, and didn't add any oil to brown it with the onion; it wasn't needed. I used reduced fat cream of mushroom soup, and diced tomatoes. I did use a cast iron skillet (a must for my big family), but still went along and transferred it to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. I sprinkled the top with shredded cheddar cheese, and put it in the oven for 5 minutes. A perfect casserole- not much to look at, but plenty of flavor! Thanks- I'll be making this again!