Quick Pantry Challenge Recipe: Easy and Cheesy Mexican Rice Casserole

My stockpile is slowly getting smaller as I am making more and more pantry challenge dinners, but we still have Pinto beans, black beans, mixed veggies, cream of chicken soup, some mushrooms, Philly cheesesteak hamburger helper, diced green chilies, fire roasted tomatoes, a long container of nacho cheese, egg noodles, a bit of rice, cheesy rice, some taco shells, tuna, and two cans of chicken.

So I am super excited, because today I am making my favorite cuisine – Mexican! I love anything Mexican themed, so today I am turning these ingredients into a Mexican casserole.

I am going to use the cheesy Mexican rice, the taco shells, the green chilies, the black beans, nacho cheese, and canned chicken. If you want to make this meatless, just eliminate the chicken, and it will work just fine with the beans.

First, I am going to spray a casserole dish with some non-stick spray. I am going to make everything right here in this dish, because who wants more dishes?

For the filling, I am going to mix cheesy Mexican rice, a can of chicken, black beans, diced green chilies, and nacho cheese. I could have added the diced tomatoes, but I am keeping that for another recipe.

I am getting the rice in the bottom. The chilies need to be drained, and the black beans drained and rinsed. I also need to drain my chicken. Once it is all in, I am going to get that stirred around and mixed in, sprinkle in my seasoning packet from the rice, and give it another stir. In the meantime, I am preheating my oven to 425 F.

The instructions on the Mexican rice packaging said I need to add 2¼ cups of water and a tablespoon of butter to the rice. I am adding the water into the casserole dish, but I have decided to substitute the butter with a nacho cheese packet.

It is definitely a lot more than a tablespoon, but I think it is going to do a great job of adding that little bit of fat and a lot of flavor. Finally, I am stirring it all one more time. I am going to make a topping for this, but I want this to cook up first, so I am going to cover this with foil and bake it on 425 F for 25 minutes.

For the topping, I am going to get some taco shells and crush them up. I was going to use some taco seasoning and ranch seasoning with it, but unfortunately I did not have any. It is a bit disappointing, but on the other hand, I am excited to finally use up everything I have in my pantry, clean it out and stock up on new things.

I put the shells into a plastic bag, crunch them a little as I am putting them in, and then crunch them up really well once in the bag.

If you do not have taco shells, you could use any kind of tortilla that you have, or even Doritos or corn chips. I'm going to turn this into my topping to add a little bit of crunch to this cheesy Mexican casserole.

After 20-25 minutes in the oven, my casserole was still pretty liquidy, so I decided to put it in for another 15 minutes. Then, I sprinkled my crushed up taco shells all over the top.

I always keep cheeses in my fridge, so I am going to sprinkle the top with some cheese as well. Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack or basically any cheese you have would work for this. I am using some cheddar.

It is now going into the oven for a final 10 minutes, uncovered, and I am going to keep an eye on it.

Pantry challenge recipe: cheesy Mexican rice casserole

Here is that cheesy Mexican rice casserole out of the oven. It looks great, and smells really good too. I plated it up and topped it with a bit of plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Let’s give it a taste!

It is delicious! I am very glad I put that taco shell on top because it needed that level of crunchiness, even though it is not even that crunchy anymore after the cheese melted into it. I am also glad that I put those green chilies in there, because they add a very good depth of flavor. In a 9*13 dish, this casserole will definitely feed four people very easily.

I love everything Mexican, and this was such a great way to use up an actual ton of ingredients that I had in my pantry. I even used up some Greek yogurt that I had left over in the fridge.

I am almost through my pantry stockpile, but I think I can get four more meals, so stay tuned for more pantry challenge recipes. I am also using up things that I find in my fridge and freezer on the way, especially leftovers or small amounts left after a recipe.

I am making some amazing progress on my pantry challenge 2024. Join me and let me know in the comments how it goes! Also, if you decide to give this casserole a try, definitely share your thoughts with me!

Next, check out my 3 Quick and Easy Chicken Recipes for the Whole Family.