Easy baked rice....

It was one of those nights....when I wanted a nice homecooked meal for RG and myself without having to slave in the kitchen for hours. And it was also one of those nights when there was no meats or fresh vegetables in the fridge.

However, there was some cold leftover rice from the day before....and I thought "BAKED RICE!".

So from the pantry, I grabbed a can of chicken breast meat (I always keep a few cans to make chicken salad sandwiches. You can even use canned tuna/luncheon meat) and also a can of cream of chicken soup (use low sodium/low fat for a healthier version). I wanted to add some veg to the baked rice and since I didn't have any fresh greens....I had to make do with frozen mixed vegetables which I always keep at least a bag in my freezer compartment. Out came my panko bread crumbs from the pantry too so that I can get a crumbily top on my baked rice. I also needed some milk (you can substitute with water/stock) and some parmesan & cheddar cheese (you can do without them or use sandwich cheese slices). Of course, I also needed the leftover rice (or you can use cooked pasta/noodles/ravioli/mashed potatoes).

I didn't add salt/pepper 'cos I knew the canned soup would be quite salty already. But I did use my "spice staples" - curry, italian seasoning & cayenne for some fragrance and heat. You can use whatever spices that work for you.

I promise that this is super easy to make.

First, I mixed the canned chicken meat (drained of fluid), thawed mixed vegetables (2 cups) and the leftover rice (3 cups) together. Then I added the spices (no measurements, sorry, I go with my mood!).

Finally, add in the soup and some milk (1/2 cup, more if necessary) and stir till well mixed.
Pour the rice mixture into a casserole dish.

Place the casserole dish in a preheated oven at 400F for 20-25min.

After 20-25min, remove the casserole dish from the oven and spread the cheeses and bread crumbs over the top....and pop it back into the oven for approx 5-10min till the crumbs turn golden brown (don't let them burn!).

There you have it. Yummy baked rice with few easy ingredients and even fewer steps! Anybody can make this.

It's simple and quite tasty. Try it when you are having one of those lazy nights like I often do :)