Growing up in the Minnesota meant that I ate lots of casseroles growing up. Except we called them “hot dishes”. Since I’m no longer living in Minnesota I thought casserole was a more universal term than hot dish so the recipe title reflects casserole, even though in my heart, it will always be a hot dish to me.
Growing up, we needed hearty and warm food in our bellies to sustain us through those cold, long winters. Hot dishes were the way to go. Not to mention, they made planned leftovers, and were an inexpensive way to feed a family.
It wasn’t gogi berries and dulse flakes and locally grown avocados and lemon trees in the backyard where I grew up.
It was food like this.
This casserole reminds me of my mom’s weekly taco night and my grandma’s rice-based hot dishes.
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Cheesy Taco Casserole
2 c cooked rice (cook 1 c dry rice with 2 c water for a 2 c rice yield)
1 jar salsa (I used a 12 oz jar of salsa that was corn and bean based, not red sauce based. Use something you like or have on hand)
optional: 1/2 c to 1 c diced veggies such as carrots, bell peppers, olives, mushrooms, onions (whatever you’d add to tacos)
optional: 1 can beans (red, black, pinto, etc.)
2 tbsp taco seasoning (about 1/2 packet of commercially prepared taco seasonings, or the whole packet if you want extra taco flavor)
1 c sour cream (8 oz)
2 c shredded cheese + 1/2 c
Directions:
After cooking the rice, combine all the other ingredients with the rice in a large bowl and stir until combined. Pour mixture into a foil-lined 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 shreeded cheese on top. Bake at 375F for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until cheese and the top is beginning to brown. If you added extra beans, veggies, or your salsa was watery, this could lengthen cooking time.
Allow casserole to rest and cool for about 10 minutes to make slicing easier.
Yields: 12 hearty squares of casserole from the 9 x 13 pan. Store leftovers in fridge or freeze squares in individual sized containers in the freezer for your a homemade, fast, “tv dinner”.
Notes: To make this vegan (and it’s already gluten-free)
For the sour cream, use a vegan/soy-based sour cream such as Follow Your Heart, or use a vegan/soy-based cream cheese such as Tofutti + splash of almond mik or water to thin it out.
For the shredded cheese, use a vegan cheese such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya.
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Cook the rice
Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
Press into a foil-lined 9 x 13 pan, and top with extra cheese before baking.
After baking….
…Garnish with sour cream and a bit more cheese, and serve with your favorite chips, if desired.
It combines flavors of my childhood into an easy meal.
And Scott and Skylar raved about it.
Then again, anything with cheese and real sour cream is off to a good start, right?
Planned leftovers save the day. Refrigerate or freeze, as I suggested in the recipe portion, for a hectic workweek meal option to have on hand.
From my last posts, a big thank you to everyone who continues to wish us a Happy 10 Year Anniversary. I am blown away by how many of you have commented and how touching your comments are. Thank you.
And, thanks for congratulating me on being featured in Women’s Health Magazine. I am pretty excited about that one!
Questions:
1. Did you grow up eating casseroles or hot dishes?
Oh, you know I did!
Cheap, easy, leftovers, can make in advance. They were a mom’s best friend. I understand that all better now that I’m a working mom.
2. Any favorite casserole recipes or go-to dishes that are your salvation for when you’re busy?
I’m all ears! (One or two links, max, or your comment will go into moderation.)
3. Best thing you’re eaten or done over the weekend?
Getting to Aruba, celebrating my 10 year anniversary, and being featured in a magazine! It’s been a great weekend for me!
P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts, here are mine since Friday:
Had to post here again. Made your Chessy Taco Casserole (without sour cream) tonight and it totally rocked! My husband is looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. He didn’t even care that there was no meat. His words “oh my god this is amazing”. Hurray!
good to know! I mean you can always add ground turkey, chicken, beef, tempeh would be great in it, or tofu, or just extra beans if he “needs” that :)
We never really ate casseroles, most of our food came from a bag or box. That casserole looks AMAZING! Yummy
Best thing I did this weekend? I just back from Vegas! Too bad I didn’t get back until midnight last night and now I’m getting ready to go to work *yawn*
I just made a version like this on Sunday! hahaha I took out the cheese and made it spicy by adding green chiles & hot salsa!
sound great :)
We never ate casseroles as a child. Lots of pasta, though! ;)
That looks super yummy! Any idea on how well the slices freeze? This would be an awesome freezer meal to make a BIG batch of!
Brooke Annessa
http://www.theannessafamily.blogspot.com
they froze and reheated just fine! I tested them out with freezing/90 secs nuking in micro. Totally fine.
I’m drooling over here! I love that it turned into a cake like consistency! I would LOVE to throw bison in there and plop a huge spoonful of guacamole on the chips… oh, and wrap it in a rice tortilla. Wow, I need to make this.
We ate a lot of casseroles at our house. So much cannelloni and lasagna i can’t really stomach them anymore.
ok well lmk if you make it, or im sure ill see it on your blog! :)
Your taco hot dish looks so much like the taco chicken dish my grandma made for us EVERY time we went to her house for dinner! It was exactly your recipe but with chicken breasts laid on top of the dish, shredded cheese dumped on top of that and then baked. I remember having that ALL the time. I grew up in Alaska so we also had meals that were hot and large for leftovers.
I make baked spaghetti or tortellini for my boys. We also call them hot dishes! :-)
I love casseroles! We eat them all the time in the winter – nothing beats ’em!
I love that bit of lore about the name ‘hot dish’ instead of casserole. That kind of thing is so interesting to me.
I’ve been all over the map lately and sorry if I missed it: are you finding that dairy works ok for you now? Just curious: I know that some people find that they have a certain tolerance (Phil’s daughter can eat it a few times a week but not every day, and usually takes a ‘lactaid’ pill if she’s going to eat it). I like the idea that our diets make us stronger and more flexible and more able to eat all kinds of food as exceptions: going to write more about that soon.
Hope you’re having a lovely time there. Oh, my best thing this w/e: my energy is getting so much better, I hiked all morning and half the afternoon _and_ did a weights workout! (and we got charged by a moose on our hike).
love
Ela
replied to another commenter right above you about the vegan/dairy stuff but in a nutshell small amts of dairy IN recipes but read my reply to her, explains it more in depth.
i agree 100% with this
“I like the idea that our diets make us stronger and more flexible and more able to eat all kinds of food as exceptions: going to write more about that soon.”
YES!
Thanks, Averie–I looked at your earlier commenter and your reply to her. Love what you say to reassure her: I definitely think that ‘feeling restricted’ is not a sustainable way to find a happy, healthy eating style.
And I applaud you for not doing a big hoo-haa about ‘why I am no longer vegan:’ actions speak louder than words and the vast majority of what you talk about is solidly plant-based. Ethical reasons aside (not saying they’re not important), I think that it’s what one does most of the time that ‘counts.’ I was just interested in how your body was tolerating it and that’s great that it’s within your comfort zone.
love
Ela
I think this recipe looks delicious, hearty, and comforting. I hope Aruba is treating you and your family well and that you can catch up on some of that lost sleep! Phew, I’d be dragging big time. I’m sure some quality beach time will fix that for you.
Cheese and rice sounds to me like the perfect combo :D
Your hot dish looks delish! My hubby would love this! Also I wanted to congratulate you on your anniversary! Spending it in Aruba must be incredible:)
Your food photos look great! I can just imagine all the hard work that goes into getting the perfect shot:)
thanks on all accounts…and yes, I took about 100 pics of casserole by the time it was all over :)
hot dishes… that is so cute! lol
I really like casseroles, or any one-pot dish. My mom made a few casseroles when I was growing up and I always enjoyed them.
The best thing I ate all weekend was the poblano pepper crepes I made yesterday.