Hearty Rice Skillet

Yield: 4 (BIG!) servings | 6 pts per serving*

My rating:

This is by far one of my favorite recipes! It's perfect if you need to cook something quickly after work on a week night. It also definitely lives up to its name, as it is quite filling! If you use the black beans and cheddar cheese options, you get a really nice Mexican flavor. This is great served with baked tostidos for dipping.

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can black, garbanzo, or kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I use black)
1 14-1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes, cut up
2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, corn)
3/4 cup quick-cooking brown rice, uncooked (I use instant)
1 cup water (only use 3/4 c. water if you are using instant brown rice)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or dillweed, crushed (I use thyme)
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce (optional) (I use 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper)
1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed tomato soup
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese (2 ounces) (I use cheddar)

Directions:

In a large skillet stir together beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetables, water, uncooked rice, thyme or dillweed, and, if desired, hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in soup; heat through.

Before serving, stir in almonds and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info:

*This recipe is somewhere in-between 6-8 pts per serving. According to the Nutritional Info in the cookbook, it is 8 pts per serving, but that does not include any dietary fiber. According to the same recipe on bhg.com, which for some reason has slightly different Nutritional Info (and includes fiber), it is 7.5 pts per serving. But then when I figured out the points manually, based on my own personal ingredients (which included reduced-fat cheddar cheese, black beans, and only 1/4 cup almonds) I got 6 pts per serving. I think the discrepencies are based on what types of cheese and beans you choose to use.

Nutritional facts per serving (from bhg.com)
calories: 369, total fat: 11g, saturated fat: 2g, cholesterol: 8mg, sodium: 972mg, carbohydrate: 57g, fiber: 1g, protein: 19g, vitamin C: 81%, calcium: 21%, iron: 23%

Nutritonal facts per serving (from BHG Vegetarian Cookbook)
354 calories, 19 g. protein, 57 g. carbs, 10 g. fat (2 g. saturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 1,244 mg sodium, 917 mg potassium

Nutritional facts per serving (from my own calculations)
358 calories, 8 g. fat, 8 g. fiber

Original Source: Better Homes & Gardens Vegetarian
(I altered some of the ingredients to fat-free or reduced-fat for a more healthy alternative to this recipe)
Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens Vegetarian