Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole

I have a vegetarian rice recipe for you today courtesy of Mealtime.org’s Kitchen Countdown. The new Kitchen Countdown features 1 pot, 5 ingredients, cost $10 or less, take 15 minutes or less to prepare, and contain 400 calories or less per serving. The goal of the Kitchen Countdown, combined with their new Essential Kitchen Tool Kit, is to provide moms with knowledge on planning, preparing and serving nutritious meals with limited time availability.

Vegetarian main dishes often require hours of chopping and cooking, and a laundry list of ingredients – but not in this dish. This easy casserole turns a can of vegetarian lentil soup into a hearty casserole with the help of nutritious, ready-to-serve whole-grain brown rice, canned vegetables, and cheddar cheese.

Because all of the ingredients go into the casserole already cooked (canned vegetables are simply cooked vegetables in a can), all they need is a few minutes in a microwave before they are delightfully done and ready to serve.

Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole
Courtesy of Mealtime.org

Ingredients:

• 1 can (19 oz) ready-to-serve lentil soup
• 1 package (about 9 oz) ready-to-serve brown rice
• 1 can (7.75 oz) unsalted mixed vegetables, drained
• 1 large or 2 small canned roasted red peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Total cost: $7.00

Preparation time: 7 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Preparation:
Combine soup, rice, mixed vegetables, peppers and 6 tablespoons of the cheddar cheese in a 2-quart, microwave-safe casserole or baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and level the top of the mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook in a microwave oven at full power until heated through and the cheese on top melts, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and cool for 1 minute before serving.

Servings: 4
Serving size: 2 cups

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories 230; Total fat 8g; Saturated fat 3.5g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 640mg; Carbohydrate 29g; Fiber 5g; Protein 10g; Vitamin A 110%DV*; Vitamin C 15%DV; Calcium 20%DV; Iron 15%DV

*Daily Value