fresh or frozen chopped spinach, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts
finely diced onion, carrot, celery, or any other vegetable you have laying around
1 stick butter
½ cup water
pinch of seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked rice
about 5oz shredded sharp cheddar
1 can cream of chicken or celery soup
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
paprika
In a medium sized skillet, sauté onions and celery (and whatever else you have) in butter until slightly soft. Add thawed vegetable of your choice, water, seasoned salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add rice, cheese, and soup. Blend all ingredients well. (If you want, you can sprinkle bread crumbs and paprika on the mixture in the skillet, cover, and warm on low heat until you are ready to eat.)
Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and paprika; bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
To freeze, I stop before adding bread crumbs and paprika, allow the rice to cool, and put it in a large freezer-safe zip-lock bag, labeled and frozen flat into a sheet so it thaws more quickly. To cook, thaw overnight or during the day, then put it in a baking dish, sprinkle with crumbs and paprika, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
