Y’all. I’m officially hooked on this whole recipe contest stuff. I found a website that collects information about lots of upcoming recipe contests, and it’s been fun to look through that list and see which contests I’m best suited for/inspired to participate in.
This time around, I’ve entered the Minute Rice “Love Every Minute” Holiday Recipe Contest, hosted on AllRecipes.com. Entrants are allowed to submit one recipe that incorporates a Minute Rice product in a holiday dish.
Though I didn’t have an existing recipe in mind, I immediately thought “casserole!” and got to work brainstorming a recipe that felt appropriately festive (cranberries!) while also hearty, warm, and filling (rice and sausage helped there). (The goat cheese could easily be subbed out in lieu of feta, but I love the creaminess of goat cheese, and it worked nicely here. Also, just leave out the sausage for a delicious vegetarian-friendly option!)
This dish turned out well, and is something I can’t wait to share with my family over Christmas.
Brown Rice, Sausage, Cranberry, And Goat Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup Minute Rice brown rice
- 6 ounces fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 4 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 sweet Italian sausages, casing removed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons thyme, minced
- 2 teaspoons sage, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a two-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Prepare Minute Rice brown rice according to directions on the side of the box.
- Whisk yogurt, goat cheese, eggs, and mustard together in a large bowl.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, and sausage, and cook until sausage is browned (about 7 minutes), crumbing sausage while it cooks.
- Remove skillet from heat and stir in cranberries, thyme, and sage.
- Add sausage mixture to cheese mixture, combining well.
- Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish and cover with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes uncovered and 10-15 additional minutes uncovered.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.