Beef Cheese Rice Bake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Main Ingredients
01 -
1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)
02 -
1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
03 -
Salt/Pepper
04 -
3 Tablespoons butter, split
05 -
¾ cup chopped onions
06 -
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
07 -
2½ cups beef broth
08 -
1¼ cups regular white long grain rice (not quick-cook)
09 -
8 oz. cleaned button mushrooms, sliced
10 -
10.5 oz. cream of mushroom soup
11 -
½ cup milk (whatever type you have)
12 -
½ cup sour cream
13 -
2 cups cheddar cheese, split in half
# Instructions:
01 -
Set your oven to 350 degrees. Quick tip: We'll cook the rice right in the pot. If you'd rather not, just make 3¾ cups rice on its own and skip adding beef broth.
02 -
Use medium-high heat to brown your ground beef in a big pot. While it cooks, sprinkle in some salt, pepper, and those Italian seasonings. When done, drain the fat, put the meat on a plate and cover it with foil.
03 -
Drop 2 tbsp butter into the same pot and let it melt. Toss in your chopped onions and let them cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook just one minute more.
04 -
Pour in your beef broth, add the leftover butter, and dump in the rice. Give everything a good mix. Wait for it to boil, then lower to a simmer. Put a tight lid on and let it cook for 10 minutes.
05 -
Now throw in those mushrooms, put the lid back on, and let everything cook another 5-10 minutes. Check your rice package if you're not sure about timing. Don't mix the rice at all during cooking.
06 -
Turn off the heat but keep that lid on tight for 10 more minutes. Don't stir yet! This wait helps unstick any rice from the bottom of your pot.
07 -
Put the beef back in the pot. Add your cream of mushroom soup, milk, sour cream, and HALF the cheese. Now you can finally stir everything together.
08 -
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and dump the mixture in. Sprinkle the rest of your cheese on top.
09 -
Cover it up and bake for 20 minutes. Then it's ready to eat!
# Notes:
01 -
You can make it a day or two ahead and keep it in the fridge
02 -
Don't like mushrooms? Swap them for frozen peas, carrots or corn
03 -
It's great for freezing what you don't eat right away
04 -
If you've got homemade cream of chicken soup, that works instead of the can