Comfort Food Thursday: Creamy Red Bean & Rice Casserole

I think the “Comfort Food Post” will be roving. Last week Friday, this week Thursday, next week — who knows!

This dish is a very satisfying and creamy, albeit, perhaps odd sounding meal. Mainly I say this because it has tons of dairy — which may seem kind of well, as mentioned above, odd in a casserole but I’m telling you, it’s really, really good. The original recipe is from The Best 125 Meatless Main Dishes but I’ve played with it over the time I’ve been making it and now it’s like this when we have it for dinner. I like brown rice instead of the original basmati in this dish. I’ve also added smoked paprika, corn, and some sauteed veggies to the red bean layer. Okay, okay and some Parmesan cheese on top. The original recipe also used yogurt instead of sour cream but honestly, the sour cream gives it a better texture post-cooking (imho, anyway).

The casserole, in this form, has become a once a week meal here at our house — especially in the Fall and Winter. Oh, and this is also a great use for any kind of leftover, cooked rice.

One last comment — it doesn’t really brown a lot on top and overcooking tends to make it watery. I have learned this from experience. You’re really just reheating everything up with the cooking time — although the cheese on top will get a bit crusty.

Creamy Red Bean and Rice Casserole with Cilantro:
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked brown rice (or, you could use 1 cup uncooked brown rice, cook that, and you should be close to two cups cooked, I’m guessing)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
2 cups low fat cottage cheese
1 cup fat-free (or low fat) sour cream
1 cup fat-free (or 2 percent) milk
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (not the sweet kind, it should have a smoky smell — if you don’t have any, try using cumin)
1/2 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce (regulat tabasco will work too, but I love the smoky chipotle flavor with the paprika)
1/4 tsp salt
1 yellow or red pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 red onion, sliced into thing rings, then halved to make strips
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté pepper and onion until soft and slightly caramelized. Set aside. Combine cooked rice, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, corn, Worcestershire, Tabasco, paprika, garlic, cilantro and salt. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour half of the rice mixture into the dish.

Then layer the beans and sautéd veggies. Top with remaining rice. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. It may be a little soupy when you first dish it out — no worries, because it tastes really good. Garnish with more cilantro leaves.