Cheesy Spanish Rice Casserole

This Cheesy Spanish Rice Casserole is super easy to make, and really delicious, this Mexican flavored rice casserole is a hit with my family. They have asked for it several times. And, I love how easy it is to make!

Recipes like my Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole and Zucchini Stuffing Casserole are great for when you want a family pleasing meal with minimal effort. I love a nice healthy main dish, and this is one of my Main Dish Recipes you’ll want in your recipe box!

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Quick and easy 30 minute meal

I had a box of the San Francisco treat Spanish rice mix in the cupboard one day and decided to gussy it up a bit for dinner. Making it a whole meal in one dish.

Well, besides being super easy to make, it was a big hit. Delicious, and yummy. With my husband even going back for seconds.

This Cheesy Spanish Rice Casserole is great as a quick and easy dinner or 30 minute meal. Also be sure to check out my Pierogi Casserole for another super easy to make weeknight dinner.

Tacos, anyone?

It would also be great as a taco filling.

Heat up some tortillas with cheese, slice up some cabbage or lettuce, and add some guacamole. Maybe even add some enchilada sauce.

This casserole would be a perfect addition to a taco bar party. Take a look here for other suggestions and tips on how to host a great taco bar party!

Boxed Spanish rice mix

Any brand of boxed rice mix will work here. I know there are several.

And, if the one you have is a little bigger (more ounces in the box) or a little smaller, that’s fine. They will all work. In a casserole like this, it’s so nice to have the flexibility to use what you have.

The box of Spanish rice mix that I had called for adding a can of diced tomatoes to the rice before cooking. I omitted that can of tomatoes because my family doesn’t care for diced tomatoes in their food. Feel free to add that to your casserole if your family is ok with that.

You could use a can of Ro-tel tomatoes and chiles in this casserole; that would be yummy.

I even saw a store brand Mexican blend boxed rice mix what would work well in this casserole.

And really, any of these will work great for this Spanish rice hotdish.

Most of these boxes of rice have microwave directions on the side, which is usually how I prepare them. If you want to skip the stove top work of cooking the red pepper and corn in a skillet on the stove, simply add the red pepper and corn to the rice mixture while it cooks. Making this dish even easier to make!

Sometimes I’ll toss in about 1/3 cup of shredded carrots for some additional veggies.

Meatless crumbles

There are many brands of these crumbles now, and they do have different names from some of the brands. I’ve seen them called everything from beefless crumbles to soy crumbles to meatless ground round.

Most of the brands are pretty good, and will work in this casserole.

I have found them in the frozen section of my grocery store, as well as in the meatless section of the store near the produce department.

If you buy the frozen ones, you don’t have to worry about defrosting them, as they are added to the hot cooked rice, and then popped in the oven, so they will be fully heated through.

Can I use something other than meatless crumbles?

If you can’t find meatless crumbles, or want to go with something else, drained and rinsed black beans are delicious in this easy to make casserole.

Edited to add in Feb 2021 I made this casserole last night with 1 cup of drained and rinsed pinto beans instead of the crumbles, and it was delicious!

If you eat meat, cooked ground beef would be a natural substitute for the meatless crumbles.

Shredded chicken would also work well here.

Let’s connect

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Recipe