When I was working full time Santa Fe Beans and Rice by Smart Ones was one of my favorite frozen meals to have for lunch. So many times a frozen meal fails to live up to the promise of the photo on the package, but this particular meal was always good. Today, I’m sharing my recipe for making a Copycat Santa Fe Beans and Rice at home. It’s a great for Meatless Mondays and the leftovers will keep well for lunches, too! 
Bake or cook on top of the stove
Start with cooked rice and mix in black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream and some Tex-Mex inspired seasonings. Cream cheese can be added to up the creaminess, but it’s optional. It doesn’t get much easier!
I like to bake my Santa Fe beans and rice when I have the time, but if you have a large dutch oven, the entire dish can be made on top of the stove. 
I used Goya Adobo seasoning to flavor my Santa Fe Beans and Rice. It’s a blend of salt, garlic, oregano and cumin. You could saute some onions and garlic to add to the mix, or spice it up with some chopped jalapenos or chili powder. Since I purchased a spicy salsa, I didn’t add any more onions or peppers.
Feel free to substitute the black beans with pinto or kidney beans.
We served our Santa Fe Beans and Rice with a green salad, some fresh bread and a nice glass of red wine. It was such a satisfying meatless meal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups black beans
- 2 cups sweet corn
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning (garlic, salt, oregano, cumin)
- 2 ounces cream cheese optional
- 1 - 2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- Mix the beans, corn, rice, sour cream, salsa, tomato paste and seasoning in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
- Pinch off small pieces of cream cheese and drop into the pot. Continue to heat until melted.
- If finishing on the stove, spread the shredded cheese on top of the mix, turn the heat to very low and cover the pot with a lid. It's ready when the cheese is melted.
- If finishing in the oven, transfer the mix to an ovenproof baking dish.
- Top with the shredded cheese and bake in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven for 20 minutes or until the casserole is golden brown and bubbly.
Notes
More Meatless Monday meals:
Did you use canned black beans and corn? If so, do you drain the juice? My husband loved the frozen meal, but doesn’t eat it any more because of GMOs. Also, can you leave out either cream cheese or sour cream? Hes not crazy about either, but I feel at least one is necessary.
I would drain any canned beans and corn. You can certainly leave out any of the dairy. You’ll end up with something a little different, but better to make something everyone will love, in my opinion.
This sounds delicious, especially with the great tomato flavors! Would love to try this at home, as my husband loves southwest food.