Creamy Poblano Rice Casserole

A fork digging into a creamy rice and poblano casserole

Creamy Poblano Rice Casserole

This Vegan Creamy Poblano Rice Casserole is an easy weeknight meal that will become a family favorite! With its creamy texture and subtle heat, it's a dish that's as comforting as it is satisfying.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Vegan

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 349kcal

Author Dora R.

Ingredients

Rice:

2 cups basmati rice
3 ½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt

Rajas:

3 large Roma tomatoes 1 lb Roma tomatoes, cored, cut into quarters
1 tablespoon avocado oil
½ large white onion thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 ⅓ cups corn kernels canned or frozen (225g)
5 poblanos roasted, peeled, seeds removed, cut into strips
¼ teaspoon fresh thyme
½ teaspoom dried marjoram
1 ¼ teaspoon salt

To Assemble:

2 cups almond crema

Instructions

To Cook the Rice

Heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat and add the rice. Toast lightly for 1 to 2 minutes, then pour in the water, and salt. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

To Make the Rajas

To make the rajas, place the tomatoes in the blender and puree until completely smooth. Leave in the blender for later use. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Stir in the corn and the cut poblano peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the peppers are warmed through. Reduce heat to low and pour in the tomato puree, while stirring, be careful it might splash. Add the thyme, marjoram, and salt and stir to combine. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomato puree thickens and becomes a deep red color.

To Assemble

Preheat oven to 350°F
To assemble, place 3 cups of rice in a 9 x 13 baking dish, this will be the bottom layer. Place half of the rajas on top of the recipe and use a spoon to evenly distribute them so they cover the rice. Pour 1 cup of the almond crema on top, and spread it with a spoon. Repeat this process once more to fill the casserole dish.
Bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Set your oven broiler on HI and let the top of the casserole brown for 5 minutes.

Video

Notes

Variations:

Vegan cheese- add about 1 cup of shredded vegan cheese on top of the final crema layer

Leftover rice- If you are using leftover rice, you will need about 6 cups of cooked rice. Reheat it before adding it to the casserole.

Canned tomato- It is best to use fresh tomatoes to make the tomato puree for this recipe, but if the tomatoes in your area are unripe you can use 1 3/4 cups of canned tomato puree.

Oil-free: Omit the oil when cooking the onion and use a little bit of vegetable broth or water instead

Nutrition