I fell in love with this Bobby Flay™ Stoneware Oval Casserole Dish and decided I needed to have it. The thing is, I realized I haven’t made a casserole in years and I surmised it was because I didn’t have a beautiful casserole dish to make them in! That got me thinking back to what I used to make them quite often and I realized that none of those old chicken recipes would cut my new fresher outlook on cooking. So, I took one of my favorites and updated it a bit. Sure, I cheated and used canned black beans, you could certainly soak some overnight instead, but either will work fine in this recipe (scroll down for the recipe).

Black Bean and Rice Casserole Recipe

Chicken Black Bean and Rice Casserole
Ten minutes active cooking and preparation then toss it in the oven and play with the kids!
Author:
Cuisine: American
Type: Dinner
Yield: 6-8
Prep Time: 
Cooking Time: 
Total Time: 
Ingredients
  • Chicken Coating Mix
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 3 - 3-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 Tbls olive oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ green pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • ⅔ c long grain rice (uncooked)
  • ⅛ to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 2 c water
  • 1 c frozen whole kernel corn
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Coating Mix: Combine flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a gallon reclosable bag. Seal and shake to mix. Add the chicken pieces, a few at a time and seal, shake and coat. Toss extra coating.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 Tbls olive oil and cook half the chicken. Cook until the meat is browned but not cooked through (about 7 minutes). Remove the meat and set aside. Repeat with chicken and the rest of the oil.
  4. Remove the chicken and set it aside. In the same pan on medium heat, add onions and green pepper. Cook for about 1 minute. Add rice, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring them to a boil (about 5 minutes)
  5. Meanwhile, prepare a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add the prepared rice/bean mixture to the casserole dish and arrange the reserved chicken pieces on top of the rice.
  6. Bake, covered for 40 minutes then uncover and cook for 10 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink - thermometer should read 180 degrees in thickest part of thigh).

Fast and Easy Make-Ahead Meatloaf

Since I was chopping anyway, I chopped extra onions and green peppers and put together a quick and easy meatloaf that I cooked at the same time so that tomorrow night’s dinner is heat-and-eat ready. I just combined 1 lb of extra lean ground beef, 1/2 chopped small onion, 1/2 chopped green pepper, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 egg, 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and 1/4 cup ketchup. I mixed it all by hand and then divided into two of  Bobby Flay’s 15 oz Stoneware Ramekins.

I baked it for 40 minutes at 375 (to an internal temperature of 160° F.  I didn’t top the meatloaf with ketchup because I’ll be serving them with mashed potatoes and brown gravy. Since I don’t eat meat and none of the kids will be here the next few days, the hubby will have the 2nd meatloaf for lunch on Saturday.

Fast and Easy Meatloaf Recipe in my new Bobby Flay Stoneware 4-pc. Ramekin Set.

Have you ever made a meal as an excuse to buy a specialty piece of cookware? I have! 🙂

Shop for Casserole Cookbooks Online

[content-egg module=Amazon template=list]

Shop for Casserole Dishes Online

[amazon_link asins=’B004CFY55A,B00N1BYMLS,B011NXFM2S,B00MQMEX1W,B072FRJCH3,B00K8QXBXY,B00ZYDH9LQ,B010YSLK6A,B00005B8JO’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’associateslinkbuilderplugin-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’dfa59182-0e5c-11e8-987f-3bf493718cf2′]