5. Cheesy Corn-Rice Casserole

From 2001 Southern Living Annual Recipes

I love broccoli-cheese-rice casserole, so when I saw this recipe, I thought it would be a nice variation for a different side dish.

I loved the texture of the corn in contrast to the overall creaminess of the dish, and the Mexican ingredients gave it just the right amount of heat to balance out the sweetness.

I was really pushed for time after work/gym, so I bought two packets of Uncle Ben's microwave long-grain rice, and it worked well as a substitute for cooking the rice from scratch.

I served this with a grilled strip steak, but it also would be great as a side for chicken or pork...or as part of a potluck or taco night...or as a one-dish meal with cooked, chopped chicken added.



2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 (15.5-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (11-ounce) can Mexicorn, drained
1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles (Rotel), undrained
1 (8-ounce) loaf mild Mexican Velveeta, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook rice according to directions.

Stir rice together with remaining ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (If desired, top with 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese and bake 5 more minutes.)

Note: This dish makes 10-12 servings. The recipe notes gave a "freezes beautifully" option, so I split the mixture into two dishes and froze one.