Mexican Black Bean, Corn, and Rice Casserole

Mexican is my favorite comfort food.  I got this recipe from For The Love of Cooking.  I made this for dinner and it was really good.  I added extra tomato sauce, more spices,  and corn.  It made so much that I put half in a casserole dish to freeze for a night when I'm too busy or tired to cook.  You should see my girls' playroom when I spend an hour or more in the kitchen.  It takes another couple of hours to get our house back in order, kitchen included.  But I LOVE to cook and the cleaning comes with the territory.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice (I use Minute 5 minute premium rice)
1 T olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef (93% lean)
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Mexican oregano dried
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can low sodium corn, drained
2 cans tomato sauce
1 T cilantro, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, sliced into large rings
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Toppings:
Sour cream
Hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare the rice per instructions.  While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Add ground beef and break up with a spoon.  Dice onion and add to pan.  Add all spices and cook until onion is translucent.  Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, black beans, corn, cooked rice, and cilantro.  Stir to combine and taste for seasonings.  Add more if you like.  I would have made it spicier if my kiddos weren't eating it too!

Spray a large casserole dish (very large if you are cooking the entire batch) with non-stick cooking spray and transfer the mixture in an even layer.  Top with sliced tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese.  Cover dish with non-stick foil (what a great invention) and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Top with your favorites, like sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, cilantro, etc.  Enjoy!