Ham & Rice Casserole

Happy cold day! Here in Northern Illinois we got dumped on with several inches of snow Sunday night, yesterday we had windchill temperatures in the -50s and today we're still close to -30 with windchill. I've had more days off from school this week than I've actually been at school. I wanted to share one of mine and Austin's favorite comfort dishes. It's definitely not the healthiest but it is SO good. I remember my mom making this growing up but I would never try it (for those of you who don't know - I was an EXTREMELY picky eater) but she gave me the recipe a few months ago and now we make it about twice a month. Its a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

The measurements I'm sharing are for a two person serving (8x8 dish) but could easily be doubled to feed more - that's how my mom always made it! 

What you're going to need for this recipe includes: 

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 can cream of celery soup 

1/2 can of green beans (drained)

1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan 

1 T minced onion

1/2 T mustard 

Diced ham (personal preference on amount)

pepper to taste 

Side note: I use the Trader Joe's frozen brown rice (1 package) instead of making my own - it's just easier and quicker for weeknights! You can definitely just cook your own brown rice.

Melt together the soup & heavy cream. Heat until just about boiling.

Add in the cheese, onion, pepper and mustard. 

Add your rice, sauce, ham and green beans (almost forgot mine here) to the greased casserole dish and mix them all together. Sprinkle the french fried onions right on top and throw it in the oven! 

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees