Light Taco Rice Bake is an easy and hearty casserole full of lean ground beef, brown rice, corn and cottage cheese for a protein packed dinner that tastes amazing and satisfies your Mexican food craving!

Light Taco Rice Bake

Name: Light Taco Rice Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 5 -6
Ingredients: 1 lb. 94% Lean Hamburger; 1 Small Onion (Diced); 2 c. Cooked Brown Rice; 1 1/3 c. Southwestern Corn; 1.25 cup (Taco Cooking Sauce (NOT taco sauce, this is a special cooking sauce near the enchilada sauces and salsa in your Mexican aisle - can substitute 2 c. salsa)); 1 1/2 c. 2% Cottage Cheese; 4 oz (Chipotle Cheddar Cheese, shredded); 9 Whole Grain Tortilla Chips (crushed); 1 large tomato (chopped); 2 Tbsp. chives (diced)

I don’t know what it is, but it seems like Mexican dishes are my go-to for easy and healthy recipes. Whether it is this Light Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Light Thin Crust Tex Mex Pizza or these Light Crock Pot Taco Stuffed Peppers it seems like Mexican food and healthy food jive really well!

Over the past 10 years, the protein I use with my dinners has been chicken 95% of the time. It is easy, healthy and quick. I steered clear from hamburger because in my mind it was bad news. The problem is, I was thinking of the 80/20 hamburger that I grew up eating on the farm. There is such great lean hamburger available in almost every grocery store now, that it really isn’t a bad option at all for making a healthy meal.

If you want to make this easy casserole even leaner, you could use ground turkey. I tend to prefer using 94-96% lean ground hamburger though, because it just adds so much more flavor. Once you get to the 99% lean ground turkey, there isn’t much flavor at all and you need to add additional seasonings to compensate for it.

You might be questioning my choice of adding cottage cheese, but just trust me on this one. It adds a creamy and cheesy flavor to the dish without adding tons of fat. It is also a great source of even more protein.

No matter how you whip up this yummy casserole, it will satisfy the hearty meat eaters, kids and those wanting something light, all the same!

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