Better than I Deserve Casserole–an easy, nutritious and economical rice and beans recipe that you can make quickly in your Instant Pot.
Better than I Deserve Casserole
Are you familiar with Dave Ramsey? Several years ago Greg and I really started listening to Dave Ramsey and getting out of our house debt. We were even on his show to yell our debt free scream. If you listen to Dave Ramsey you know that he always answers the question “how are you doing?” with the answer of “better than I deserve!” (a grace statement). You also know that he loves to eliminate debt and he is famous for telling people that they need to cut their budget and live off of “beans and rice and rice and beans!” So today’s recipe is in honor of my friend, Dave.
Yes, beans and rice are very inexpensive but I actually really love beans and rice and so do my kids. So this recipe might be frugal but it still tastes amazing! Feel free to mix up the ingredients and use what you have on hand. I made this meatless but you can always add in meat if you would like.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Vegetable oil–or canola oil
- Onion–yellow or white
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Dried oregano
- Chicken broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Brown rice–see notes section if you’d rather have white rice
- Green chiles–I used mild
- Frozen sweet corn–or canned corn
- Black beans–or pinto beans
- Salsa–or picante sauce
- Monterey jack cheese–or a mexican blend
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes.
Turn off Instant Pot and stir in the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and oregano.
Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
Sprinkle in the brown rice (don’t’ stir in). Dump in the chiles, corn, beans and half of the salsa.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 22 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.
Stir in the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with diced avocados, a dollop of sour cream and a handful of Fritos. If you’d like to add meat to this dish try adding in a pound of cooked ground beef. Another option is to cook some chicken breasts or thighs at the same time as the rice. You may need to add in additional seasonings.
- This recipe is gluten-free. It can be dairy-free if you leave out the cheese.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot. This recipe can easily be doubled. It’s a great healthy lunch idea that you can prep ahead and warm up at lunchtime.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you’d like to use white rice instead of brown rice then you only need to cook for 5 minutes with a 5-10 minute natural pressure release.
- Other recipes you can make with brown rice are Stick of Butter Rice or French Onion Rice.
More Instant Pot Meatless Dishes…
Instant Pot Energizer Soup
A cabbage soup with lots of veggies and delicious flavor! It will fill you up and give you lots of energy without weighing you down.
Instant Pot Superfood Fried Rice
A nutritious fried brown rice (or quinoa) with vegetables and scrambled eggs that you can make in your pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Hippie Casserole
A colorful combination of veggies and potatoes that are topped with feta cheese.
Peace Out Summer Supper
Gnocchi with vegetables in an oil and vinegar dressing. Make this quickly in your Instant Pot for a fresh and bright summer supper.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Better than I Deserve Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy, nutritious and economical rice and beans recipe that you can make quickly in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
- 4 oz green chiles
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot and stir in the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and oregano.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Sprinkle in the brown rice (don’t’ stir in). Dump in the chiles, corn, beans and half of the salsa.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 22 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Stir in the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Meatless
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Do you have to do anything different if you double the amount of rice? Should I just double the liquid and keep everything else the same?
to keep everything flavorful I would double all ingredients. Keep the cooking time the same.
My picky son is coming to visit in a couple weeks, and I KNOW he will like this. What would the cook time be for using white rice?
Thanks for such a great recipe.
If you’d like to use white rice instead of brown rice then you only need to cook for 5 minutes with a 5-10 minute natural pressure release.
Delicious and easy! I’m always looking for recipes my kids will eat and taco seasoned anything usually works. I added some diced bell pepper and diced cherry tomatoes to the cooker before starting it and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach with the second half of the salsa. My kids didn’t even notice! I think I may try a bit more rice (maybe 1 full cup?) next time but definitely keeping this recipe. Oh, and cheddar cheese worked fine!
Sounds like an awesome version. Thanks so much for the 5 stars Barbie!
We made this tonight and it was delicious and thankfully there is enough left to make quesadillas with the leftovers. Thank you Karen
Thanks Verna! Glad you liked it!
😃That was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the name of this recipe lol I listen daily! Looks yummy but will have to make with stovetop & bake method (no instapot here).
Love Dave!
Thank you for this recipe. We loved DR and have used his program since we took FPU. I’m so happy for you guys and your success with his teachings… My recipe question is: Can I try this with taco or cheddar cheese instead?
He’s great! And yes you can.
I do not have an instapot how would I do this in a crock pot.?
Hey DJ, I haven’t tried this yet in the CP but if I did I would do it this way:
Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and oregano. Add to the slow cooker
Stir in the broth, brown rice, chiles, corn, beans and half of the salsa.
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 6 hours)
Stir in the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!
I don’t have an Instant Pot. How would I make this in a crock pot?
Hey Jan,
I haven’t tried this yet in the CP but if I did I would do it this way:
Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and oregano. Add to the slow cooker
Stir in the broth, brown rice, chiles, corn, beans and half of the salsa.
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 6 hours)
Stir in the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it melt. Serve and enjoy!