Red (or Black) Beans and Rice Tortilla Casserole - A Recipe from the Pantry

I found this recipe on the back of a box of Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, except that when I got around to actually making it (this week!) I only had boxes of Zatarain's Black Beans and Rice!  Because of the pandemic, rice of all kinds, including boxed mixes, has been scarce.  I've seen packages of Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, and, now and then, brown rice, but if you're able to score plain old white rice or any of the boxed mixes like Uncle Ben's, Zatarain's, or Rice-A-Roni, it's time to celebrate!

Anyway, I was in a little bit of a hurry and didn't have time to thaw any meat.  This recipe was sitting on the counter, and I took that as a sign.  It's easy, fairly quick, tastes good, and not exotic.  Sometimes you want comfort food, but something a little different, and this fit the bill.

Before the toppings!

Red (or Black) Beans and Rice Tortilla Casserole

1 7-oz box Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice OR Black Beans and Rice
1 T butter or oil
2 1/2 c water
1 15-oz can corn, drained
1 4-oz can green chilies, undrained
1 t cumin
6 8-inch flour tortillas
2 12-oz cans white meat chicken, drained OR 2 c shredded cooked chicken
2 c (8 oz) shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Using the first three ingredients, prepare the rice and beans mix as directed on the package, adding the corn, green chilies, and cumin at the same time.  You will simmer this mixture for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a sprayed 11" x 7" baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of the rice mixture.  Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed.  Layer with 1/2 each of the remaining rice mixture, the chicken, and the cheese.  Repeat the layers with the rest of the tortillas, rice mixture, chicken, and cheese.  Cover with non-stick foil.

Bake 20 minutes, uncover, bake an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.  Top with sour cream, salsa, and chopped green onions, if desired.

Shrimp Creole (Another Easy Pantry Recipe)

Zatarain's used to make a Creole rice mix, but after McCormick bought them out, I guess they decided that particular product wasn't necessary anymore.  I actually bought a case of it on Amazon when I couldn't find it in the stores.  When that was gone, I played around, trying to figure out a replacement.  Here's what I eventually came up with, and it's not bad at all!


Shrimp Creole from the Pantry

1 T butter
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1 chopped bell peppers
1 T minced garlic
1 1/2 t creole seasoning
1 15-oz can stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 c water
1 box Zatarain's jambalaya rice mix (not family size)
12-oz package frozen, cooked, shelled, tailless shrimp

In a 4-quart saucepan or dutch oven, melt butter, add the onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the seasoning, tomatoes, water, and jambalaya mix.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add shrimp, bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer 10 minutes.