Cheesy Amazing Mexi-Rice

Cheesy Amazing Mexi-Rice

Caramelized cheese.

Oh, you want to know more? I found this recipe on Pinterest and the ‘caramelized cheese’ part pretty much sold me right away. If you’re thinking “what exactly is caramelized cheese?” then you are in for a treat! You know when you make a grilled cheese sandwich and some of the cheese leaks out of the bread and sizzles on the pan, forming a salty, smoky, crusty piece of bonus cheese deliciousness? That is caramelized cheese, and it’s amazing.

This rice is going to knock your socks off because it is literally coated in caramelized cheese. You get some of that smoky, cheesy flavor in every bite. I know I’m dwelling on the cheese, but there’s lots of other great stuff in there too. Tomatoes, green peppers, black beans, olives, corn and chicken round this dish out and give it hearty Mexican flavors. The cheese is what sets this rice apart though. It does take some time for the cheese to caramelize (about 40-45 minutes total), but since you are absolutely not allowed to stir it more often than once every 5 minutes, you can do other things at the same time. The only problem is that you’ll be able to smell it and it smells incredible. I can’t believe I made it 45 minutes without diving face first into the pan.

I added chicken breast and black beans to make it heartier because I wanted to eat it as a main course, but if you’d prefer to serve it as a side dish or make it vegetarian it would be just as delicious without the chicken. If you serve it as a side dish you can simply halve the nutrition information and make fourteen ½ cup servings. To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!

I frequently look forward to eating my leftovers, but I think I felt extra excitement about these. It’s all in the cheese.

Cheesy Amazing Mexi-Rice

This Cheesy Amazing Mexi-Rice is full of flavor and delicious as a main or side dish!

Ingredients

  • 4 cup cooked brown rice, I cooked mine the day before to save on prep time – recommended!
  • 6 oz (about 1 ½ cup) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced small
  • 1 (14.5 oz can) petite diced tomatoes in their juices
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, I used frozen right out of the freezer
  • 1 (2.25 oz can) of sliced black olives, minced
  • 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced (I used a rotisserie breast) – *omit if making this vegetarian*
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

  • In a large (really large) bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix together with a large spoon until thoroughly combined.
  • Bring a large nonstick sauté pan (what I used) or cast iron skillet (do not use a stainless steel pan) over medium heat and add the rice mixture, spreading it out across the bottom of the pan. Let it sit and cook that way in five minute intervals, stirring in between. Do not stir more frequently than every five minutes – you are waiting for the cheese to caramelize before scraping it off the bottom of the pan! Scrape the cheese off the bottom and stir it in every five minutes for 35-45 minutes (I did the full 45).

Notes

To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Nutrition Information:
315 calories, 36 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 11 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 6 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
MyWW SmartPoints per (1 cup) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Green: 10 SmartPoints/ Blue: 8 SmartPoints/ Purple: 4 SmartPoints
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
8 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
slightly adapted from The Kitchn