A week ago I tried to make a sort of Mexican inspired casserole. I wasn't very happy with my first try -- it was extremely dry, and frankly it made me feel ill for a few days. There was no effect on Laura, so I think its just the sensitivity of my digestive system. Oh well.
Yesterday, Laura admitted to me that she was dying to have it again, so I made a few changes to the recipe and it came out pretty well. Its sort of similar to the Mushroom Vegetable casserole, but in the end I guess all casserole's are sort of similar. Again, if anybody tries this, please let me know!
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable (or mushroom) broth
- 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 box/bag spanish or mexican rice
- 2 tbps olive oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp flour
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 2 handfuls corn chips for topping
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare mexican rice according to box directions.
Bring broth and sour cream to a simmer. Heat refried beans in small sauce pan, until hot and less viscous.
Saute onion and bell pepper in 1 tbsp olive oil until tender. Add rest of olive oil, flour, red pepper flakes and cumin. Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in hot broth mixture. Add corn, bring to boil and allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper (keeping in mind that beans and chips will add salt to the final product).
Layer casserole: rice on bottom, half of onion/pepper mixture, refried beans, rest of onion/pepper mixture. Top with cheese and crushed corn chips.
Cook for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
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