Pork & Green Chiles Casserole

I tasked John with making our meal plan for the week while I was at New Moon on Sunday. He picked out pork & green chiles casserole from our Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book. I was hesitant since we just had enchilada lasagna, but I was pleasantly surprised. This casserole was really good. Really good. And, aside from the 1/2 cup cheese, fairly healthy. In a word: hearty.

Pork & Green Chiles Casserole

Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 30 minutes Oven: 375 degrees
Stand: 5 minutes Makes: 6 servings

1 lb ground pork
15-ounce can pinto or black beans, rinsed & drained
10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups bottled salsa
4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
1/4 cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

1. In a large skillet cook pork until no pink remains; drain. Stir in beans, soup, salsa, chile peppers, rice, water, & cumin. Heat & stir just until bubbly. Pour into a 2-quart casserole.

2. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese; let stand for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

No side notes on this one. It's perfect as is. Yum!