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This easy salsa rice casserole is so easy and full of flavor! Dump all the ingredients in a baking dish, pop it in the oven, and that’s it. With beans and corn, it’s perfect for a meatless main course or quick side dish for a Mexican meal.

Overhead view of a large white casserole dish holding a Mexican rice casserole with rice, beans, and cheese.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • There’s a ton of delicious flavor here! Rich salsa, tender rice, savory black beans, zesty cheese, and your favorite taco seasoning baked into one delicious vegetarian dish.
  • Mexican rice casserole is a one-dish dish! Just dump all the ingredients in the casserole dish, stir well, and pop it in the oven. No dirtying multiple bowls or utensils, and even better – no cleaning multiple bowls or utensils.
  • This is a slow-bake recipe, which gives you time to do other things. No running back to the oven to stir every few minutes or anything like that. This dish takes care of itself! To make things even more convenient, feel free to do the prep work earlier in the day and then just put the casserole in the oven about an hour before you’re ready to eat.

Chef’s Tips

  • The rice really controls the baking here, so use it as your guide. After 50 minutes in the oven, uncover the dish and taste the rice. If it’s tender, you’re ready to move on to the next step. If it’s still firm or crunchy and undercooked, put the foil back on and put the dish back in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes. After that, test it again and move forward if it’s tender.
  • Don’t worry if the Mexican rice casserole is a little loose or liquidy after you remove the foil, before you add the cheese. It’ll firm up as it rests after baking and be the perfect consistency.
  • Feel free to add any of your favorite toppings not mentioned here. A squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of diced onion or jalapeño, or a drizzle of queso would all be delish. You can also serve the casserole with tortilla chips or even slices of bell pepper to act as chips.
Overhead view of a serving of Mexican rice casserole in a bowl next to a large casserole dish.

More Incredible Casserole Recipes

Angled view of Mexican rice casserole taken from the corner of the casserole dish.
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
5 from 5 votes

Easy, Cheesy Mexican Rice Casserole


Prep 15 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Rest 10 minutes
Total 1 hour 25 minutes
This easy dump recipe combines rich salsa, tender rice, and savory black beans with delicious toppings for an incredibly flavorful meatless main course.
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8 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • casserole dish (8×8 or 9×13)
  • Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans drained, rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 16-ounce jar salsa any flavor
  • 2 cups broth chicken or vegetable
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning store-bought or make your own
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese divided
  • 3 green onions sliced, white and green parts divided

Garnishes (Optional but Recommended)

  • fresh cilantro chopped
  • avocados sliced or diced
  • sour cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Add uncooked rice, drained and rinsed black beans, frozen corn, salsa, broth, taco seasoning, 1 cup shredded cheese, and white parts of green onions to casserole dish.
    All ingredients for Mexican rice casserole in a casserole dish.
  • Stir well until all ingredients are fully combined, then tightly cover casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place covered dish in preheated oven and bake, covered, for 50 minutes.
    Overhead view of Mexican rice casserole in a casserole dish.
  • After 50 minutes, remove dish from oven and uncover. Taste rice to gauge texture. If rice is tender, leave dish uncovered, sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and return to oven to bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    Alternately, if rice still has some bite (i.e. is firm or crunchy) then replace foil cover and return to oven to bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Test rice again; once tender, add remaining cheese to top and return to oven for 10 minutes.
  • Once cheese is melted, remove dish from oven. Let stand 10 minutes, then garnish with green parts of green onions, cilantro, avocado, and/or sour cream. Serve warm.
  • If the casserole is a little loose or liquidy after removing the foil, that’s fine. It’ll firm up as it rests for 10 minutes in step 4.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 276calProtein: 13gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 1017mgPotassium: 444mgTotal Carbs: 37gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 31gVitamin A: 564IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 232mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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18 Comments

    1. Sure, but be sure to drain it really well. It may still end up being mushy after the casserole bakes, though.

      Reply

  2. Super easy and delicious! This was a huge hit at our potluck. There were no leftovers and multiple requests for the recipe.5 stars

    Reply

  3. Have made this twice now and I love it! I use medium salsa for a little extra kick and want to try it with chipotle salsa next. Perfect for weekly meal prep! I’ve also found (in my oven at least), that the rice takes 75 mins to cook to perfection.5 stars

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Jess! And thank you, too, for that note about the cook time with your oven!

      Reply

    1. Brown rice cooks for a different amount of time, so you would need to adjust the timing accordingly!

      Reply

    1. I’m not familiar with cooking plant-based ground “beef”, unfortunately, so I can’t say offhand how long it needs to cook or what the results would be. We didn’t test this recipe with it. That being said, if the meat substitute you’re using would be fully-cooked within the 60-minute bake time, I would imagine you could skip cooking it beforehand. You may need more broth just depending on how much liquid the ground “beef” would absorb.

      Reply

  8. This recipe is amazing! I added chopped sweet peppers for more veggies and cojita cheese with the Mexican cheese and jalapeño style green salsa instead or regular salsa and it was AMAZING! I made my own taco seasoning so it was less sodium since salsa and cheese have all the sodium you will need for this recipe! It’s so easy and filling5 stars

    Reply

    1. Sweet peppers, cojita cheese, and green salsa sound like delicious additions to this dish! Thanks for sharing, Rachel! 😊

      Reply

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