HEARTY SPANISH RICE BAKE

Hearty Spanish Rice Bake image

Ground beef, fresh onion, green bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and rice are simmered in a sweet-hot sauce then baked with Cheddar cheese and garnished with fresh cilantro. Spice it up with Ro-Tel® instead of regular canned tomatoes, cayenne, and jalapeno peppers. I have also added extra Cheddar cheese and you can substitute a Mexican blend or any other cheese if you like. Warning: this will spice up your life if you use the optional ingredients.

Provided by Hugh

Categories 100+ Everyday Cooking Recipes

Time 1h

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL®)
1 cup water
¾ cup long-grain white rice
½ cup chile sauce
1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, or to taste
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeno peppers, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef, onion, and green bell pepper in the hot skillet until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
Stir beef mixture, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, water, rice, chile sauce, olives, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt, brown sugar, ground cumin, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a large pot over medium-low heat.
Bring beef-rice mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Stir in 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and press down firmly. Top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 429.6 calories, Carbohydrate 26 g, Cholesterol 92.2 mg, Fat 24 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 26.9 g, SaturatedFat 11.9 g, Sodium 1074.5 mg, Sugar 1.9 g