Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole

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This Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole is a quick and easy side dish to pair with any of your favorite Tex-Mex dishes.  It’s loaded with cheese, sour cream, a hint of garlic and just enough green chilis to make it a hit with the entire family.

Jump to:

• The Best Green Chili Rice Casserole
• What to Serve with this Easy Side Dish
• Ingredients in Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
• Step-by-Step: How to Make Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
• Variations to this Cheesy Rice Casserole
• How to Cook White Rice
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole Recipe

The Best Green Chili Rice Casserole

This is the one of our favorite side dishes to serve with Tex-Mex or Mexican.  It has all of the cheesy, creamy comforting goodness that you look for in a rice casserole, and it’s a perfect way to use up leftover rice.  

Once you have your cooked rice this requires zero prep work.  Zero!  You just dump, mix, bake and poof - you’ve got yourself a delicious side dish in under 30 minutes!  

Our family is a huge fan of anything spicy, and we’ve come to really embrace canned green chilis.  They are such a convenient, no-fuss way to add little flavor bombs to all sorts of dishes.  If you aren’t as big of a fan of spice, just reduce the amount in the recipe by half.  You’ll still get a touch of that nice smokey heat, but it will be milder.

What to Serve with this Easy Side Dish

This Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole makes a perfect side dish to any of your other favorite Mexican or Tex Mex dishes, like tacos, burritos, quesadillas or enchiladas.  Here are a few to get you started:

• Steak Fajitas
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
• Chipotle Carne Asada or Authentic Carne Asada
• Shredded Beef Tacos
• Sheet Pan Chili Lime Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients in Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole

• Rice - this should be pre-cooked white rice.  
• Green Chilis - you can find canned green chilis in any grocery store.  You could also substitute sliced or diced green jalapenos if you want even more spice.
• Cheese - our favorite combination of shredded cheeses to use for this recipe is cheddar, pepper jack and Monterrey jack, but you can use whichever you prefer or have on hand.
• Sour Cream - either full fat or lite.
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Fresh Parsley or Cilantro - this is an optional, but highly recommended, garnish.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, green chilies, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir until well combined.
3. Spray a 9 by 13" baking dish or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, then spread the rice mixture in the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. 
4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and the cheese is lightly golden brown. 
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro before serving.  Enjoy!

Variations to this Cheesy Rice Casserole

How to Cook White Rice

On the Stove 

1. Rinse the rice for about 20 seconds.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 1 part uncooked rice to 2 parts broth or water.  You can also add butter, salt and any other seasoning that you would like at this time.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.
3. Let simmer, without stirring, for about 18-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all water has absorbed.  Keep the lid on your pan until you need to check to see if the rice is done. 
4. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for about 5 minutes, before fluffing with a fork.

Instant Pot 

1. Rinse the rice for about 20 seconds.
2. Add 1 part uncooked rice, 2 parts broth or water, butter, salt and any other seasonings into the Instant Pot and stir.  
3. Close and lock the lid, then turn the venting know to “Sealing” position.
4. Pressure cook on High Pressure for about 6 minutes.  Once finished cooking, switch to “Venting” position using a kitchen towel to release the remaining pressure.  
5. Let sit for a few minutes, then lift the lid carefully and fluff with a fork.

Rice Cooker

1. Rinse the rice for about 20 seconds.
2. Add 1 part rice, 2 parts broth or water, butter, salt and any other seasonings into the rice cooker and press the “White Rice” setting.
3. Once the rice has cooked completely your machine will tell you (magic!).  Let sit for about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Best Rice to Use for this Mexican Rice Casserole?

The rice used most often in Mexican or Tex-Mex rice is long-grain white rice.  As opposed to short-grain rice, this variety holds its shape and stays separated after cooking.

Can I Make this Rice Casserole with Brown Rice?

Absolutely!  If you are looking to boost the nutritional value of this recipe, substituting brown rice is an easy switch to make.  Keep in mind that brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice, no matter what method you use to cook it.  

How Should I Reheat Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole?

• Oven: pull your casserole from the fridge to allow it to start to come to room temperature,  and preheat your oven to 325.  Let the casserole sit out for about 30 minutes, then cover with foil and reheat for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

• Microwave: for smaller portions, scoop into a microwave safe dish and reheat on high for about 1 minute.

Here are some other easy side dishes that we love!

• Garlic Parmesan Rice
• Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes
• The Best Sausage and Apple Stuffing
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Loaded Baked Potato Skins

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This Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole is a quick and easy side dish to serve alongside any of your favorite Tex-Mex dishes.  It has all of the cheesy, creamy comforting goodness that you look for in a rice casserole, and it’s a perfect way to use up leftover rice.