Southwest Black Bean, Rice and Veggie Casserole {Recipe}

Here is another recipe from my post on making three healthy dinners from one rotisserie chicken. I’ve taken this casserole to several potlucks and everyone seems to really enjoy it. It has great flavor from the cilantro and lime and I love that it is loaded with all of these veggies!

You could also serve it as a vegetarian main by substituting another can of black beans for the chicken. Enjoy!

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Southwest Chicken, Black Bean & Veggie Rice

Adapted from: Rice and Black Bean Casserole

Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice (or any long-grain rice)
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 lime, juiced
2 cups (approximately) rotisserie chicken, diced
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and washed
8 oz. frozen corn (about half a bag)
1 medium zucchini, grated
Half of a jar of salsa or Picante sauce
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (or roughly 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes)
2 cups grated cheddar or cheddar jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring the rice and chicken stock to a boil in a small pot. Cook 15 minutes or according to package directions (you may need to adjust the liquid amount if you are not using Jasmine rice). Fluff with a fork and add the lime juice to the rice.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, chicken, black beans, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, salsa, and one cup of the cheese and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lightly grease a casserole dish (I used my dutch oven this time). Add the contents of the bowl to the casserole dish and top with the remaining cup of cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove and top with the cilantro.