Ham And Rice Bake — The Annual Mugging by a Spiral-Cut Pig, Made Worthy

The first Sapulpa-Elementary cooking class Wednesday September 4 went well. Nine fourth-and-fifth-graders. Ninety minutes. Pork-and-vegetable-lo-mein. The class made it from prep-list to plate with the small light-supervision I had been planning for. Brayden is one hundred and fifty-four weeks old. Eden is twelve weeks old. The ham-and-rice bake was the small Sunday-comfort-casserole that the busy-week needed.

The ham and rice bake is a small one-pan casserole — diced cooked ham (from a small leftover-ham-store I have been building since Christmas), cooked rice, sauteed onion and celery, condensed cream-of-mushroom-soup, shredded cheddar, baked at three-fifty for thirty-five minutes until the cheese is bubbling.

The technique question on a ham-and-rice bake is the moisture-balance. The ham is salty enough that the casserole does not need additional salt. The cream-of-mushroom-soup provides the binding-moisture. The shredded cheese on top provides the small visual-and-flavor-finish.

Sunday I made the casserole. Dustin had two helpings. Brayden had a small portion.

Aunt Linda’s small twice-weekly Tulsa-visits continue. She arrives. She holds Eden. She plays with Brayden. She drinks the small coffee. We talk for two hours. The small Aunt-Linda-and-Roy small post-retirement rhythm has settled into the small comfortable-pace they have been building since Roy stopped driving.

Dustin’s small Tulsa-shop work continues. The small shop-manager-and-eventually-owner trajectory is in its small mid-phase. Bobby is moving toward the small retirement-handoff. The small five-year-buyout-structure is in its small operational-rhythm.

The small family-of-four routine continues. Brayden goes to school. Eden goes to daycare. Dustin goes to the shop. I do the small catering-and-cookbook-and-blog work. The small days have the small predictable shape that the small steady-state of the small family-with-two-kids assumes.

The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. We have not yet moved to a small house. The small house-search continues to be on the small slow-burn. The small five-year-down-payment-savings-plan continues to accumulate.

Ham and Rice Bake

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
• 2 cups diced cooked ham
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the baking dish

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
2. Mix the base. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and milk. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
3. Add the filling. Stir in the cooked rice, diced ham, thawed peas, diced onion, and diced bell pepper. Season with garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
4. Add cheese. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for the topping.
5. Assemble. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the reserved cheddar cheese over the top.
6. Bake. Place the dish uncovered in the preheated oven and bake for 40—45 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese on top is golden and melted.
7. Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon directly from the dish at the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 820mg