Mexican Rice Cassarole

This is a wonderful dish, because it freezes as well as anything I've ever frozen before, and it tastes great! It's also pretty good for ya, and it doubles very well. A good way to clean out your fridge, and it can feed a lot of people for not a whole lot of money.

Mexican Rice Casserole
by Brea!

3 cups uncooked brown rice
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can flavored diced tomatoes
cheese
meat (cold, however much, whatever kind; I use leftover fajitas, or two cooked, shredded, seasoned chicken breasts)
tortilla chips

Cook rice according to package directions (add 1 teaspoon salt), and set aside to cool. Heat oven to 350. Add corn, beans, tomatoes, and meat in a large mixing bowl, reserving the liquid from the corn for possible later use. Mix together and add a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, if you want. When the rice is cool, mix into the mixing bowl. Combine well, adding the reserved corn liquid if needed to form a very thick but slightly wet mix.

Layer the bottom of a baking pan with lightly crushed tortilla chips. Spoon half of the mix into the pan, sprinkle the top with cheese, and bake for 20-30 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Put the remaining mix into a heavy-duty freezer bag and freeze up to three months. Place it in the fridge two days before you want to cook it, then follow the directions from the above paragraph.

Note: I use the HEB brand Chipotle diced tomatoes, which give a great smoky flavor without adding too much ‘heat.’ My kids can eat it, but if you're real sensitive to heat, just pour a little of the liquid down the drain before you add the tomatoes. Also, I don’t to add any additional seasoning when I use those tomatoes … which I love!