13 hours Ago By [email protected] (Maria Scinto)
With grocery prices constantly on the rise, it's practically a crime against food to throw out any leftovers that aren't trying to crawl out of the refrigerator. There's , and we're not just talking rice pudding or Chipotle-style burritos. One great way to stretch a few cups of leftover rice with just a couple of added ingredients is to make it into a casserole.
You don't even need to find a casserole recipe that fits the ingredients you have on hand, since it's possible to freestyle such a dish with excellent results. Start with a few cups of rice and combine it with a roughly equal amount of protein. Ground beef or turkey are budget-friendly casserole favorites, but canned tuna, shredded chicken, canned beans, or last night's roast will also work.
Add some vegetables, too, if you'd like. Stir everything together with a semi-liquid binder such as sour cream, cheese sauce, or condensed cream of something soup, then season to taste and spread the mixture in a baking pan. If the casserole still seems lacking, you can finish it off with a topping of shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, or both.
If the protein and vegetables are cooked before you mix them with the rice, all you need to do is warm the casserole in the oven. In fact, you could even heat single servings in the microwave. If any ingredients do need cooking, however, the casserole will likely need to bake for half an hour or more.
Don't take a risk with rice that hasn't been safely stored Before you start planning your casserole, you'll need to make sure the leftover rice is safe to eat. All joking aside, one exception from the aforementioned "food crime" rule is leftovers that pose a threat to your health. If not properly stored, .
Rice contains a kind of bacteria called Bacillus cereus that, if allowed to grow at room temperature, may lead to seriously unpleasant digestive issues in anyone who consumes it. While this type of foodborne illness is unlikely to land you in the hospital, you'll have a miserable, messy time of it for a day or so. According to the , cooked rice (and all other perishables) should be safe at room temperature for up to two hours, but no longer.
This means that if you order Chinese takeout and refrigerate any leftover rice right away, it should be okay. If you're bringing home restaurant leftovers, however, you'll need to calculate the time from when the rice was brought to the table to the time it arrived home. The , as with rice you cook at home, is in an airtight container, and it should be eaten (or repurposed in a casserole) within three or four days.
If you're not sure you can do this, the best thing to do is to freeze it, since it will remain safe at sub-zero temperatures until you're ready to use it. Recommended.
