Spanish Rice Casserole (freezer meal)

I love it when a meal doesn’t need side dishes. This cheesy all-in-one Spanish Rice casserole freezer meal is so easy to make. Everything is cooked ahead so it can be on the table quickly. multi colored plate heaped with cheesy rice casserole. Text reads "Spanish Rice freezer meal" #freezermeals101 #spanishrice #makeahead #freezerrice #spanishsidesWe’ve been making this recipe for many years. It makes it into about every second freezer meal rotation because it’s just a solidly good recipe. And it’s on the table in 30 or 40 minutes so it’s great for busy weeknights. 

Spanish Rice Recipe:

  • 1 lb. ground beef, cooked
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups pasta sauce
  • 2 cups white or brown rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 2 1/4 oz. can sliced black olives (or half the can)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

close up of Spanish rice casserole on a plate, topped with cheeseAssembly instructions:

  1. Brown the beef.
  2. Cook and cool the rice.
  3. Chop the vegetables.
  4. Place the grated cheddar cheese in a medium resealable bag.
  5. Put all the other ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish to mix together. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.
  6. Freeze.

freezer bag with ingredients for Spanish rice casserole insideCooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the contents of the large bag in a large casserole dish and top with cheese.
  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°.

collage of Spanish rice casserole in a freezer bag, in a pot topped with cheese and being lifted with a spoon to serve

Variations of the Spanish Rice Casserole:

  • Use veggie ground round in place of the ground beef to make this meal vegetarian.
  • Omit the olives if you’re not a fan of black olives or add the full can if you can’t get enough.
  • Use red or orange peppers in place of the green peppers if you want a milder flavour. 
  • Serve with hot sauce if you like things spicy.
  • You can change up the flavours a bit by trying this recipe with different pasta sauces. Use whichever your favourites are.

close up of Spanish rice casserole in a pot topped with cheeseYou can find this easy freezer meal recipe in our Gluten Free Freezer Meal Menu Plan. It also contains other recipes, prep lists, shopping lists, and printable labels.

Spanish Rice
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: casserole, rice, Spanish
Servings: 6
Calories: 570 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground beef cooked
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups pasta sauce
  • 2 cups (cooked) white or brown rice cooked and cooled
  • 1/2 cup onion diced
  • 1/2 green pepper diced
  • 2 1/4 oz. can sliced black olives or half the can
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Brown the beef.
  2. Cook and cool the rice.
  3. Chop the vegetables.
  4. Place the grated cheddar cheese in a medium resealable bag.

  5. Put all the other ingredients in a large resealable bag and squish to mix together. Remove excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal.

  6. Freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Put the contents of the large bag in a large casserole dish and top with cheese.

  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°.

Check out these other freezer meal casseroles:

Chicken Asparagus Casseroleclose up of chicken asparagus casserole with rice

Chicken Wild Rice Casseroleclose up of chicken and wild rice casserole with carrots and celery

Southern Style Ground Beef Casseroleclose up of southern-style ground beef casserole topped with cheese