This cheesy spinach rice casserole is a delicious and easy side dish made with rice, spinach, and cheese, and baked in the oven until golden brown.
Spinach Rice Bake
Our family loves our side dishes! As the holidays approach, we love to plan our recipes and we always choose some of our traditional favorites as well as trying out some new recipes.
However, when I was growing up, Granny used the same menu for Christmas and Thanksgiving. We’ve included most of these on this site.
Later after I married and I had my own family, I continued with the traditional menu from my childhood. It was perfect, why change it?
Well, my children grew up and got married. As it turned out, we had new people in our family, who thought it would be fun to try out new recipes or wanted to include some of their family favorites.
Then gradually over the years, we went from having the same menu each holiday to adding a few new side dishes to the mix. Everyone gets a say!
Honestly, while I still make all my old favorites, I’m happy to say that we’ve found new favorites. It’s important in our family to include everyone’s favorites, not just mine.
This spinach rice bake is one that I wanted to try, sort of like an audition for our family side dish list. While our family loves rice in all its forms, we didn’t really have a rice casserole in our rotation.
I found this spinach rice casserole in an old regional cookbook. It combines cooked rice and spinach for a lighter side dish that pairs well with just about any protein. The addition of eggs holds everything together so it is easy to cut and serve and gives the dish a delicious fluffy texture.
I’m happy to announce that this easy, cheesy rice casserole definitely made the cut and we’ll be serving it at holiday dinners now!
Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, cooked
- 1 cup of cooked white rice or brown rice
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 2 Tablespoons of minced onion
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- Grated cheddar cheese (optional, can be added to the mixture and spread on top)
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Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×9 baking dish.
- Cook the rice and measure out 1 cup of the cooked rice.
- Cook the spinach per package directions and drain.
- Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Spoon the mixture into your prepared casserole dish. If using cheese, you can spread some on top as well as mix into the rice and spinach mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Prep Tips
- Cheese – The original recipe did not have cheese in it and this is a great option to serve when people in your group don’t eat dairy. I liked it better with cheddar and a little parmesan cheese and I thought it was a more attractive casserole this way. Since the recipe didn’t include cheese, I measured it with love but I estimate I used about a cup of cheddar cheese and about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Rice – You can use either white or brown rice for this recipe, since you’ll be cooking the rice ahead of time, that doesn’t affect the cooking time of the casserole itself. This is also a great way to use up leftover rice you might have in the fridge!
- Timing – This mixture is easy to whip up and the prep time is mostly cooking the rice and spinach. While these are cooking you can cut your onion, get your eggs ready, and gather the seasonings. All in all, your total time is about one hour and you can serve right away.
- Storage – Keep any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I find that this dish keeps well and was just as tasty over the next couple of days.
- Pairing – This cheesy rice casserole pairs well with baked or fried chicken! I also think it goes great with a juicy steak. What I love about this dish is that it kind of hits all the marks for side dishes: carb, veggie, and cheese!
More Casserole Recipes To Try
- Easy Corn Casserole
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Celery Root Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
- Swiss Green Bean Casserole
- Creamy Baked Mashed Potatoes
Spinach Rice Casserole Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Baked Spinach Rice Casserole
Equipment
- 9X9 baking dish
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 package frozen chopped spinach cooked and drained
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoon onions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Cook the rice and measure out one cup.
- Cook the spinach per package instructions and drain.
- Stir and combine all ingredients together, including cooked spinach and rice, in a large mixing bowl, then spoon the mixture into your prepared casserole dish.
- If using cheese, you can spread some on top as well as mix into the rice and spinach mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Notes
Nutrition
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