Mexican Sour Cream Rice

For some reason, I've been on a real Mexican food kick lately. I made this rice last night, and I have a couple of other Mexican-themed dishes on the menu for later this week. Those flavors and textures are what I'm really craving right now.

This rice is definitely a winner. I couldn't get enough of it! As you can see from the photo above, I used it as a filling for our soft tacos, but it's equally delicious by itself (I did some snacking last night, so I know that's true). I loved the sweetness of the corn, the tanginess of the sour cream, and the brightness of the cilantro together; it was such a perfect combination of flavors. The green chiles and pepper-jack cheese added a nice kick, but it wasn't too spicy. This was just delicious, and something I'll definitely be making over and over again!

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
Source: adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking, who got it from ...and a cookie for dessert, who got it from Allrecipes

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used Minute Rice, which worked just fine)
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers
2 cups shredded pepper-jack cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes (because I used Minute Rice, I decreased the simmering time to about 10 minutes).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

3. In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1 cup cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

4. Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.