I stole this recipe for Easy Rice Bake Casserole from foodnetwork.com who stole it from Down Home with the Neelys. To start this casserole, onions and spinach is sautéed in a large pan. Cooked rice, shredded cheddar cheese and seasonings are mixed in. Everything is poured into a casserole dish and topped with extra cheese and baked. This is a great rice side dish to serve with any meal.
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. – Mich Ehrenborg (see more quotes in the Quotes tab)
Cook the rice first, I stole these instructions from the Riceland Enriched Rice Product box. Combine 1 ½ cups uncooked rice, 3 cups water, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ tbsp butter in a 2 quart microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at 100% power for 5 minutes. Then microwave at 50% power for 15 minutes. Let bowl stand covered for 5 – 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a large casserole dish. In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté 1 small minced onion with 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of cayenne until translucent. Add 1 package frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup milk and 2 eggs.
Add egg mixture, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, rice, 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley, 1 tsp thyme and 1 tsp basil to the spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine well. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
Top casserole with extra shredded cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.
Easy Rice Bake Casserole
To start this casserole, onions and spinach is sautéed in a large pan. Cooked rice, shredded cheddar cheese and seasonings are mixed in. Everything is poured into a casserole dish and topped with extra cheese and baked. This is a great rice side dish to serve with any meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter plus more for dish
- 1 small onion minced
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 package frozen spinach thawed, drained and chopped
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar plus extra for top
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 tsp freshly chopped parsley leaves
- 1 tsp chopped basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
Rice:
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp margarine or butter
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a large casserole dish.
-
In a large pan over medium-high heat, sauté onions with 2 tbsp butter and cayenne until translucent. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.
-
Add the cheese, rice, parsley, thyme and basil to the spinach mixture. Combine well. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and serve hot.
Rice:
-
Combine ingredients in a 2 quart microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at 100% power for 5 minutes. Then microwave at 50% power for 15 minutes. Let bowl stand covered for 5 – 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Yield: 4 ½ cups rice
Recipe Notes
You can use leftover rice from another recipe or make fresh rice using the microwave instructions included in the recipe.