Saturday, September 12, 2015

Brown Rice and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients
For the Enchilada Sauce*:
1 tsp. olive oil
½ cup finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chili powder
½ tbsp. cumin
¼ tsp. salt
15 oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup water
For the Casserole:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb. ground turkey
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
½ cup finely chopped onion
Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions
Make the Enchilada Sauce:
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Cook the brown rice:
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the(instant) brown rice; cover and remove from heat.
Cook the Sweet Potatoes:
Set a steamer basket over a pot of water and bring to a boil. Place sweet potato cubes in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.
Assemble the Casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, brown rice, sweet potatoes, black beans, enchilada sauce, 1 ½ cups of the cheese, onion and turkey. Stir until everything is well combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.
Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

*You can substitute 15 ounces of store-bought enchilada sauce if you prefer.

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