One Dish Mexican Rice Casserole

We recently made a trip to the most beautiful Canaan Valley, WV where we visited the White Grass Ski Touring Center. They are surrounded by an idyllic setting. We were lucky enough to visit when huge snow flakes were falling on an already winter wonderland. The sun was shining and there was beautiful blue sky backdrop. It was a little slice of heaven; I’m sure of it.

Inside White Grass touring center is no different. Its charm is magnetizing; from the worn wooden floors to the lively cafe serving up warm soups and an even warmer welcome. I instantly felt drawn to this place.

On our first visit, we tried snowshoeing (none of us had been on skis before). This felt like the easiest entry with the best success rate. We didn’t make it very far before our youngest headed back to the warmth of the center and enjoyed their vegetarian chili and chocolate chip cookies.

Our second visit had us feeling a little froggy. So we gave cross country skiing a try. It was a good time, with lots of laughs (we all fell. a lot.). We came back to the center for a lunch break. We tried three different sandwiches, brownies, more vegetarian chili, and of course, more chocolate chip cookies. Everything couldn’t have been better and the atmosphere was the cherry on top. A dog greeted everyone coming in and made instant friends with those eating. There was a wood stove at the center of it all offering up community tea.

It was hard to leave. But on our way out, I found a sweet little cookbook sitting near the checkout. I knew it was coming home with me. We’ve been home for almost a week and I’ve had fun cooking from it. It takes a simple approach to food.

The Mexican Rice Casserole was an easy, yet very satisfying, one dish meal. I hope you enjoy and can feel the tenderness of White Grass in this recipe.

*To be very clear, this is not my original recipe. I did make a few small adaptations like adding meat and adjusting the amount of seasonings. And because I had no intention of sharing, I didn’t take any photos.

The original recipe comes from White Grass Cafe Cross Country Cooking which you can find on Amazon, linked here – White Grass Cross Country Cooking 

Mexican Rice Casserole

This recipe is adapted from "Whitegrass Cafe Cross Country Cooking". I like to make this in one pot, using a large sauté pan or dutch oven (with lid).

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 sm-med onion, chopped (I like onion & garlic)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 10 oz can Ro-Tel tomatoes & chilies
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 cup grated monterey Jack cheese
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 deg.
  • While oven is preheating, bring your sauce pan or dutch oven to med heat on stove and add olive oil. Allow olive oil to warm and add onion, pepper, and garlic. Saute vegetables until onions are translucent.
  • Add ground beef to the vegetables and cook until no longer pink.
  • Add salt, pepper and cumin and stir well to combine.
  • Add Ro-Tel, water, and rice. Stir well.
  • Add cheese and parsley. Stir well.
  • Cover and place in oven for 55 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed.
  • Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, and hot sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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