Week 21 - Green Rice Casserole

 Green Rice Casserole

Recipe 21 of 52

Vegetarian Entree #3

This recipe is based on a recipe for a side dish called Green Rice in The Cookbook LIbrary's Casserole Cookbook published in 1962. I used riced cauliflower in lieu of rice. You could try it with brown rice or maybe even couscous. To make this more substantial, add one cup cubed, cooked tofu or paneer cheese. If you add the tofu/paneer cheese, you'll definitely want to use the larger 2-quart casserole dish, as the recipe below fits perfectly in the 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. I was rather surprised how much I liked this made with the cauliflower and would make this again. It would be easy to make this vegan, by using plant based cheese and vegan milk replacement. If you are a meat eater, add 1 cup cubed, cooked chicken and use that larger dish. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (I used a 12oz bag frozen, riced cauliflower; cooked )

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar (I used shredded colby-jack)

1 cup milk (I would use 1/2 cup if making this with riced cauliflower)

3/4 cup mixture of minced parsley/spinach/chives (I used a 12oz bag frozen, spinach; cooked and 1/4 cup chives)

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 onion chopped

salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning)

red chili flakes (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except 1/2 cup of cheese, in a large bowl. Pour mixture into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the casserole. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool and serve with additional parsley as garnish if desired. Sprinkle with red chili flakes if desired. 

Green Rice Casserole