One Pot Gluten Free Beef Casserole

I'm terrible at naming recipes. Mr. Go asked me what I was making and I said, "Everything and rice mashed in a pot" but that doesn't sound very appetizing as a blog post title.

But it's easy, delicious, a little carb-y with the rice and the Mexican-style spices really hit the spot on a cold winter day. Treat it like chili, throw on some corn chips and cheese if you're into that kind of thing.

One-Pot Gluten Free Rice Casserole

Serves 9 | Serving size = 1 cup | 330 calories/serving

Ingredients

Scant TB coconut oil
1/2 onion diced (I used red but whatever you've got is good)
4 carrots, peeled & diced
3-4 ribs celery, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups broth (I used chicken, but again, raid your cupboards)
1 cup white rice
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can black beans
15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 TB Taco Seasoning (I use Whole New Mom's recipe, with some modifications)

1. In a medium sized pot, melt the oil and cook the onions for a couple minutes, until translucent. 
2. Add the ground beef and diced vegetables. 
3. When the beef is almost browned, add the taco seasoning, broth, rice, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes. 
4. Drain the excess liquid from the beans (you don't need to rinse them, just get some/most of the liquid out and call 'er good) and add to the pot. Stir it all up. 
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender.

It's easy and it lends well to modifying. Last time I made it I added a can of corn instead of beans. I didn't drain the corn either, because I was low on broth and made up for it with the corn liquid.

I love Whole New Mom's Taco Seasoning mix recipe. I didn't add red pepper flakes and went a little lighter on the cumin, because I'm cooking for a 4-year-old. *Cough* pre-made seasoning mixes are a scam don't buy them at the store they're full of added sugar just make your own *Cough*

Split the broth with some coconut milk for a creamy, rich dinner. This turned out pretty dry, like a casserole, so add some more liquid if you want it more stew-ish.

And, since I went through the trouble of calculating calories and serving size, here it is, along with my rudimentary breakdown. Of course, your brand of canned veggies might have different cals, so calculate accordingly.

600 1 cup rice
70 8 oz can tomato sauce
105 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1500 1 lb beef
15 - 1.5 cups broth
390 1 can black beans
20 3-4 ribs celery
100 4 carrots
40 half a red onion
100 scant TB coconut oil
2940/all
330 cals/cup

Enjoy!

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