Easy Layered Beans and Rice

Amarante

Mon, May 04 2015, 4:59 pm

This is much tastier than it would appear from the ingredients and it couldn't be easier to make.

Obviously lends itself to all kinds of variations depending on what you like and what is available. You could use salsa instead of spaghetti sauce or curry sauce instead of spaghetti sauce - and then sub chickpeas for the pinto beans. Very Happy

Easy Layered Beans and Rice

from "The Meatless Gourmet: Easy Lowfat Favorites"

1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked - see notes if using brown rice
4 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil), cut into small pieces
1 (8-oz) can corn, drained
1 1/4 cups boiling vegetable broth
2 cups reduced-fat, meatless spaghetti sauce
1 (1-lb) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups of cooked beans)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.

Lightly oil a deep 2-quart casserole or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.

Spread rice in the casserole. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes. Spread corn evenly over rice. Gently pour broth over corn.

Spoon half of the spaghetti sauce evenly over the corn. Spoon beans over the sauce, followed by remaining sauce.

Cover tightly and bake 45 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle with both cheeses, and return to oven until cheese is melted and begins to brown, 5-10 minutes.

Add 15 to 20 minutes if using brown rice

Serve-again hint: Here's everything you need for a bean and rice burrito, including the cheese. Just roll leftovers in flour tortillas, heat in an oven or microwave, then top with salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 413 cals, 6g fat (3 g sat), 19g pro, 71g carbs, 938mg sod, 11mg chol

I used a short grain brown, which cooks a bit quicker, checked it at 50 minutes and because there was still a little liquid, I removed the cover and gave it an extra five minutes before putting the cheese on, and everything was perfect. I was almost flabbergasted when I tasted it, because not only did it exceed my expectations, but because it made for such a protein/fiber rich, nearly fat free recipe. The overall result was as good as a lasagna or macaroni and cheese, rich and gloppy comfort food, and I didn't even have to chop an onion.

Amarante

Mon, May 04 2015, 8:35 pm

ces wrote:

Thanks! This looks good. I've never tried rice and beans and never thought of it as a comfort food either, but you make it sound so good I'll probably try this! Wonder how many WW points a serving works out to.

I hope I didn't oversell it - melted cheese, sauce and I do like beans. Very Happy

I don't have a current WW calculator but it would be pretty easy to calculate the points because there are so few ingredients. I know WW on-line has a recipe calculator if you are an on-line member but otherwise there are lots of websites where you just calculate points in the ingredients.