Spinach & Rice Casserole

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Hey y’all! I hope everyone is well and warm! It’s cold over here on the east coast! I should say it’s chilly. My brothers and my son live and work in much colder states and they would say it’s not cold. 😊

Since the weather has changed here, I’ve been thinking about cold weather dishes. You know what I mean by that right? Those dishes that just warm you up and make you think of home. Well to me that means casseroles, stews, soups, chilis, and things of that nature. Honestly anything can be a cold weather food if you like it to be….ijs! Since I’ve been on this health journey, Chef Scott has given many wonderful recipes to the group and spinach casserole has been one of my favorites. I love spinach however I never really ate frozen spinach with the exception of spinach dip. The one where you defrost a small box of spinach and squeeze the water completely out, add it to some sour cream and a packet of dry ranch dressing…yasssss…that is so good! Look, you’re getting two recipes today. Lucky you! 😊

I’m sharing with you my version of a spinach casserole. Honestly, I was taking some leftovers out of the fridge from yesterdays dinner which included BBQ ribs, cabbage, lima beans & corn, and some rice that was cooked in the liquid from the ribs(I pressure cooked them in the Instantpot then put them in the oven w/ sauce). I like to repurpose if I can so, I thought about the casserole and decided this would be a wonderful way to use this rice. The ingredients are simple and you may have them at home. Let’s cook y’all!

Spinach & Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

2 bags of frozen spinach

1- 10.5 oz can of cream of celery soup

1 small sweet onion finely diced

1 cup of cooked rice

1/3 cup of shredded cheese(your choice)

1 tsp Mrs. Dash salt free table blend

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

S & P to taste

Directions:

*Preheat your oven to 350°

1. In a sauce pot, put in your 2 bags of spinach and enough water to cover it on medium heat until it comes to a slight boil. Cut off the heat and drain. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. You’re basically helping it to defrost and making it easy to combine with the other ingredients and reducing your oven time.
2. In a 9 x 13 combine the spinach, rice, finely diced onion, condesed cream of celery soup, seasonings and cooking liquid if your mixture is to thick. Sprinkle cheese on top if you want it to be crispy
3. Bake for 30 minutes. I add my cheese on top so that I get that crunchy texture as it bakes. You could bake for 15 minutes without the cheese and then pull it from the oven to add cheese and finish baking for another 15 minutes. It’s entirely up to you!

Well y’all, I hope you enjoy this tasty side dish. I can eat it as an entree, YES ma’am, it’s that good!

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Remember to be kind to each other. It doesn’t cost a thing to smile or say hi. You never know how your one act of kindness will turn someone else’s day around!

Until next time, keep cooking!