Made from Scratch Sunday: Black Bean & Rice Casserole

Black Bean and Rice Casserole

 For this recipe, you can get any cut of chicken you want. I got drumsticks, because they were on sale, and free range organic chicken ain’t cheap. Using the salsa is such a time saver from chopping and sautéing onions, garlic, pepper and adding spices. It cuts down on the dishes too!

2 or 3 chicken breasts (about 1 – 1 ½ cup shredded when cooked)

1 can black beans

1 cup white rice

½ cup corn (I used frozen corn I had from last years garden.)

1 jar of your favorite salsa (plus some to serve with)

¼ cup chopped black olives

2 dollops of sour cream (plus some to serve with)

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

8x8 casserole dish

Here’s how I made this easy-peasy, super delicious casserole:

1. In a large dutch oven, dump in the whole jar of salsa and your raw chicken. Heat up to medium-high until it is good and hot. This takes about 15 minutes.
2. Turn down the heat to a simmer and add rice, corn, olives and a cup of water. Cover and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and if anything is sticking to the bottom of the pan, you need to add a little more water. Be careful to not add too much water though! You want this to be a thick consistency.
3. When rice and chicken are fully cooked, turn off heat. At this point I scooped out my drumsticks, let them cool a bit and cut off the meat. Turn on your oven and preheat to 350.
4. Add sour cream, half your cheddar cheese, black beans and your shredded chicken back in to your pot, and mix everything together well.
5. Pour into casserole dish and top with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!