Velveeta Easy Red Beans & Rice

Velveeta Easy Red Beans & Rice (adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 5-6, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 package Morningstar Farms Sausage Links, thawed, sliced

·         1 can  (15-1/2 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed

·         1 can  (15-1/2 oz.) Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

·         2 tsp. chili powder

·         2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

·         6 oz.  VELVEETA® 2%, cut up

Directions

1.      Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

2.      Add beans, tomatoes and chili powder; mix well.

3.      Stir in 2 cups water. Bring to boil.

4.      Stir in rice and VELVEETA; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes or until water is almost absorbed. Stir until VELVEETA is completely melted.

A simple dish that provides a lot on flavor.  This is not spicy, so my husband likes it, but has a nice Mexican flavor from the green chilies and chili powder.  The beans cook through during the process, they are still firm, but not overly hard.  The recipe above doubles the cooking time for the rice because I have found that the original recipe’s time (5-7 minutes) gets nowhere close to absorbing the liquid or cooking the rice.  The Velveeta adds a creaminess to the dish, but you could also use Taco or Mexican shredded cheese.  A tasty dish that I will make again and again.

Tomato Cream Sauce

Tomato Cream Sauce (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, 5-6 servings, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ½ small onion, diced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves

·         ¾ tsp. white sugar

·         ¼  tsp. dried oregano

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

·         ½ cup heavy cream

·         1 Tbsp. margarine

Directions

1.      In a saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn.

2.      Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates.

3.      Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

I served this over rotini cooked al dente and both my husband and I loved it.  It has a slightly sweet flavor.  The only thing that I had an issue with was that I tossed it with too much pasta, resulting it being slightly dry.  I will probably double the recipe next time.  It is quick, easy, and very tasty.  The next time I make it, I will substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream.  No other changes needed!  Enjoy!