Baked Spinach and Rice

This delicious recipe works as a side dish or as a main meal.  The creamy spinach and rice tastes so good with the crumbly cracker crust.  It's really hard to stop eating, even after you're full.

HERE'S HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER

• 1/2 cup parboiled rice
• 1 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Place rice, broth and garlic in small pan, bring to a boil.  REDUCE HEAT to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice has absorbed all the water.  Remove from heat.

While the rice is cooking...

• 1/3 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 (10oz) bag of frozen spinach, thawed
• canola oil
• chicken broth

Cook the onion, carrots, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, until they begin to soften.  Add in the thawed spinach and enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pan, cover with lid.  Stirring occasionally, cook until rice has finished cooking. Remove both pans away from heat.

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Combine in a one cup food processor,

• 15 Ritz crackers
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

until you have the texture of fine bread crumbs.

Beat together

• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Wursterchestershire Worstersheer Worcestershire sauce

Cut enough Gouda or Cheddar cheese

• into cubes to make 3/4 cup

Spray oven proof pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Combine the spinach and vegetables with the rice, then pour into pie plate.

Top with cubed cheese and press into veggie mix.  Don't allow the cheese to touch the pie plate or press down so far that the cheese touches the bottom.  It makes clean up easier. Now, evenly pour beaten egg all over this mixture.

Last layer, cover the top with the Ritz cracker crumbs.  Be Generous Here, it's worth it in the end.

Reduce oven temperature to 350º and bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, like you do when you've pulled a pizza out of the oven.

It's Time to Eat!