Trixie&#39;s Quick and Tasty Mexican Casserole

I'm a big fan of Qdoba. If you've never been to Qdoba, you don't know what you're missing. They have these giant burritos topped with every kind of delicious topping you can imagine. You have the option of ordering their burritos "naked", which is just the insides of the burrito in a dish. You can forgo the tortilla all together or enjoy it on the side. I've never had anything from the Qdoba that I didn't like.

After extolling the virtues of Qdoba food, here's where I mention the only drawback: it ain't cheap.

One day while eating their Ancho Chile Burrito -- served Naked Style, I started lamenting the fact that I couldn't make the same thing at home for less. And then it occurred me to ask myself, why I thought I couldn't make it at home. Ahhhh the light bulb moments. Sometimes they result in ideas that make you a millionaire over night or a great new recipe. I quickly concocted a recipe for Quick and Tasty Mexican Casserole.

Last week I tried out the new recipe for the first time. My husband just loved it. As a matter of fact, he said he wouldn't mind eating it once a week, which is high praise from him. So I'm sharing it here for you folks.

The basic recipe is very simple. This dish is mostly about the toppings. Who wouldn't like rice, beans and chicken once you've topped it with a myriad of deliciousness?

See that 8x8 casserole dish to the right? It never saw the oven. After heating the rice, beans and chicken separately I layered them in the dish starting with the rice and ending with the chicken to make serving easier.

Quick and Tasty Mexican Casserole

1 cup of uncooked white rice
1 15 oz can of black beans (drained)
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup of water

Toppings of Your Choice

We like the following:

diced onion
sliced black olives
diced tomatoes (you could also use pico de gallo)
salsa
sour cream
cheddar cheese
guacamole

Because the toppings are what really make this recipe great, the first thing to do is figure out what toppings you would like to top this casserole with and get those set up into serving dishes.

Following package directions, cook one cup of white rice until done . (Make sure to wash the rice several times if you don't want sticky rice). While the rice is cooking, take 2 cups of pre-cooked diced chicken and place in a medium sauce pan. Then add 1/2 cup of your favorite bbq sauce, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chile powder and 1/2 cup of water to the saucepan. Heat on med-low until mixed well and the sauce is hot. The sauce should be fairly thin. Warm the black beans until hot.

Once the rice is cooked, and the chicken and black beans are hot, layer these items into an 8x8 baking dish: rice first, then beans, then chicken. You have the option of serving each of these items in their own separate dishes but I like to use the one dish method. Easier to serve and less clean up.

Set out the "casserole" and all the toppings and have everyone dish up their own. This recipe would be good served with tortilla chips and queso dip, but it is so filling you don't really need any sides at all.