Hands off dinner #2: Tex-Mex Fiesta Casserole

Tex-Mex Fiesta Casserole

6 servings

40 min 20 min prep

16	ounces lean ground turkey or beef
1/2	teaspoon instant minced garlic
1/2	cup onions, diced
1/2	cup green bell peppers, diced
1/2	cup chunky salsa
2	teaspoons chili seasoning mix
1 3/4	cups tomato sauce (15 ounce can)
1/4	cup reduced sodium ketchup
1	cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2	cups cooked rice, hot
3/4	cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (3 oz.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

3. In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, brown meat, garlic, onion and green pepper.

4. Add salsa, chili seasoning, tomato sauce and ketchup.

5. Mix well to combine.

6. Stir in corn, rice and cheddar cheese.

7. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.

8. Bake for 20 minutes.

9. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes.

10. Divide into 6 servings.

11. HINT: 1 1/3 cups uncooked rice usually cooks to about 2 cups.

**Angie's notes: This is a family standard. It's taco like in nature, but not so much table-work! I'll be making 3 batches of these in one sitting. We'll eat the first one right away because once Ben sees that I'm cooking it - he'd be heartbroken to hear he has to wait. (What can I say - the boy LOVES it!?) The other two additional 8x8 pans will be frozen. Once I've done that - I'll have 2 more instant meals to feed our family! You can either thaw first (and add 10 minutes to the baking time to account for the chill) or cook from frozen (double the cooking time at least!). Whatever you do - don't stir. There is no need to, and it will become porridge-like in consistency. We like to add lettuce, sour cream and salsa and eat it with tortilla chips.